Christabel Duah
Update 12:42 p.m.
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KIRO-7 reports three people have been confirmed dead, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. Amtrak confirms there were 78 passengers and 5 crew members aboard train 501.
Update 12:19 p.m:
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Ed Troyer from the Pierce County Sheriff Department confirmed there has been “multiple fatalities.” All casualties were reported on board, none were reported on the ground. 70 to 75 people were confirmed to aboard the train, which was traveling at approximately 80 mph. The exact number of deaths is still unknown.
Photos from scene of amtrak passenger train derailment pic.twitter.com/gd09MzLCC6
— Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) December 18, 2017
Original story
A train derailed in Washington Monday morning, report authorities.
According to reports, Amtrak train 501 left Tacoma, Wash., early in the morning before derailing on a Dupont overpass and dangling over an interstate highway below.
At the time of reporting, all lanes of traffic were blocked beneath the overpass.
First responders are classifying the derailment as a mass casualty incident, reports CBS News.
#BREAKING: New photos show @Amtrak derailment near Lacey. [Photos: Maria Fullenwider-Hetland]
Real-time updates: https://t.co/V1JMGude8h pic.twitter.com/LAe3i2C62c
— KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) December 18, 2017
RELATED: A man is hospitalized after a train derailed and crashed into a home
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDT), the train typically has thirteen cars and can carry up to 200 passengers. WSDT shared an image of the derailment and urged people to avoid the area. The Amtrak train 501 was just launched Monday morning — the train was about 45 minutes into its first journey before it derailed.
According to Chris Karnes, a passenger on the train, riders had to kick open the windows on train cars to get free.
“We had just passed the city of DuPont, and it seemed like we were going around a curve,” Karnes told CBS News. “All of a sudden, we felt this rocking and creaking noise, and it felt like we were heading down a hill. The next thing we know, we’re being slammed into the front of our seats, windows are breaking, we stop, and there’s water gushing out of the train. People were screaming.”
The exact number of casualties has not been revealed, and authorities are investigating the incident.
The story is developing.
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