In the United States, an Amtrak passenger train on its inaugural trip on a new route derailed this morning in Washington state near the city of Tacoma, spilling multiple cars flying off a bridge and onto a busy interstate, killing at least six people.
Many more were injured on board the train, which hit vehicles on the I-5 highway below. Another 77 people have been taken to hospital, reports say.
The train, which was carrying 78 passengers and five crew, was part of a newly expanded faster rail service along the route linking Seattle and Portland, Oregon featuring new locomotives.
Images from the scene showed that all the carriages of the high-speed train had left the track. It was Amtrak’s first passenger service to run on a new, shorter route.
Train 501 had left Seattle, heading south for Portland, at 6 AM local time. The derailment happened on a section of track, south of Tacoma, previously only used for freight trains.
Pierce County Sheriff’s department spokesman Ed Troyer said there were multiple fatalities on the train but no motorists had been killed.
