Officials have confirmed at least two fatalities and approximately 70 injuries after an Amtrak train en route from New York to Miami crashed into a freight train in Lexington County, South Carolina Sunday morning, NBC reports.
“Two different trains—a passenger train and a freight train—collided,” Lexington Public Information Officer Harrison Cahill said during a press briefing. “We were able to extract and assist passengers off that train. Unfortunately, there were two fatalities as a result of this collision. We are working with the coroner’s office here in Lexington County very closely with that.”
You can see Cahill’s remarks below, courtesy of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.
According to information obtained by NBC from South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division, roughly 5,000 gallons of fuel were spilled as a result of the crash. Cahill added that the passengers’ injuries range from small bumps and scrapes to more severe cases of broken bones.
At press time, officials were not sure what caused the two trains to collide. When both trains made contact at approximately 2:45 a.m. EST, the collision caused the lead engine and several adjacent passenger cars of the Amtrak train to derail.
This is the second major Amtrak crash in less than a week after a train carrying dozens of Republican members of congress struck a garbage truck Wednesday. That incident left one person dead, while at least six other passengers were treated for injuries.
Individuals with questions regarding passengers on train 91 can contact us at 1.800.523.9101
Per Amtrak’s official Twitter feed, individuals with questions regarding passengers involved in Sunday morning’s crash are encouraged to call 1 (800) 523-9101.
