Amtrak Train 91 has collided with a CSX freight train in Cayce, South Carolina, while travelling from New York to Miami, claiming the lives of at least two people and leaving nearly 100 others injured.
The train’s lead engine and multiple passenger cars were derailed during the incident.
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It was carrying a total of eight crew members and approximately 139 passengers on-board at the time of the accident.
The incident represented the third fatal crash involving the US passenger rail operator in the last two months, reported media sources.
Amtrak president and chief executive Richard Anderson told Reuters that the passenger train hit the tail of the freight train during the collision, which comprised two locomotives and 34 empty auto racks.
Roughly 5,000gal of fuel spilled across the area as a result of the crash, though officials stated that there is no threat to public safety and the site is currently being secured.
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By GlobalDataSouth Carolina Governor Henry McMaster was quoted by the news agency as saying: “It’s a horrible thing to see, to understand what force was involved.
“The first engine of the freight train was torn up, and the single engine of the passenger train is barely recognisable.”
McMaster further noted that the passenger train was reported to be travelling at a speed of 95km/h at the time of the accident.
A separate Amtrak passenger previously train previously derailed in Washington State in December, resulting in three deaths.
An Amtrak train also collided with a garbage truck in Virginia last month, causing one fatality.
