Busiest rail corridor in U.S closed after deadly Amtrak derailment [WATCH]
by The Associated Press
All seven cars of Northeast Regional Train 188 ended in disarray, sending 144 to hospitals and killing six people
PHILIDELPHIA—Heavy equipment is being brought in at the scene of an Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that killed at least six people.
All seven cars of Northeast Regional Train 188 ended in disarray May 12, sending 144 people to hospitals. Several are in critical condition.
Temple University Hospital’s Dr. Herbert Cushing says most of the injured sustained fractures.
The derailment occurred where the tracks curve in the city’s Port Richmond section.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators will begin their investigation to determine what caused it.
The train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew as it headed from Washington to New York City along the nation’s busiest rail corridor.
Here is what we know:
-Temple University Hospital’s Dr. Herbert Cushing says a sixth person died overnight from a chest injury. That’s in addition to the five deaths announced by Mayor Michael Nutter.
-Amtrak has modified Northeast Corridor service. Trains will run between Washington and Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and New York and Boston. There will be no Amtrak service between New York and Philadelphia. New Jersey Transit will honour Amtrak tickets between New York City and Trenton.
-One rail car is mangled, three are overturned and three others are a twisted mess following the train derailment.
-An Associated Press manager, Paul Cheung, was on the train and said “the train started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the brake.”
-Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy was on the train and said he helped people.
-More than 140 people went to hospitals to be evaluated or treated.
-The derailment has closed a major section of the nation’s busiest rail corridor.
-Mayor Michael Nutter called the scene “an absolute disastrous mess.” The mayor says all seven train cars, including the engine, were in “various stages of disarray.” He said there were cars that were “completely overturned, on their side, ripped apart.”
This CNN video from Youtube shows security camera footage capturing apparent explosions moments after the train passes out of view:
