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Two people were killed and 116 injured in a crash between an Amtrak passenger train and a CSX freight train in South Carolina early Sunday morning. Amtrak Train 91, en route to Miami from New York, collided with the CSX train at about 2:35 am in Cayce, South Carolina. The Amtrak train was apparently on the wrong track.
The Amtrak train’s lead engine and some passenger cars derailed; it was carrying eight crewmembers and 139 passengers. Those injured were transported to local hospitals, according to Lexington county spokesperson Harrison Cahill, and injuries ranged from scratches to broken bones. About 5,000 gallons of fuel were spilled, authorities estimated, but that there’s “no threat to the public at this time,” Cahill said on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been called to investigate. This is Amtrak’s second fatal crash this week.
#BREAKING: Our first look at the #PineRidgeSC train crash, courtesy of @LPinderTV. More details: https://t.co/mPhzjPWs1X @wis10 #sctweets pic.twitter.com/iOHtOvERyl
— Chad K. Mills (@ChadKMills) February 4, 2018
What we know
The Amtrak train in the collision was on the wrong track, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters on Sunday. He said the CSX freight train, which had no one aboard, “was on the track it was supposed to be on.”
Amtrak said in a statement that CSX owns and maintains the area where the trash occurred: “CSX controls the dispatching of all trains, including directing the signal systems which control access to sidings and yards.”
Robert Sumwalt, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told Fox & Friends one of the priorities is to recover data recorders to determine the speed of the Amtrak train at the point of collision.
Robert Sumwalt, NTSB Chairman: One priority in investigating Lexington County #AmtrakCrash is recovering recorders that will indicate speed upon impact pic.twitter.com/KE7ISifeiY
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) February 4, 2018
Derek Pettaway, a passenger on one of the train’s rear cars, told CNN that he was awakened by the impact and helped off the train “really quickly” by the crew. “Nobody was panicking,” he said. He went to the hospital and after being discharged with minor whiplash went to a shelter for passengers at Pine Ridge Middle School.
#AmtrakCrash passengers remain at the Pine Ridge Middle School @RedCrossSC reception site. @LizardsThicket has provided food and @WaffleHouse has provided coffee for those here. Passenger related questions? Call the @Amtrak Info Line at 1-800-523-9101. #LESM #LCSDnews pic.twitter.com/6C3PTEWUIx
— Lexington Sheriff (@LCSD_News) February 4, 2018
This is the latest fatal incident involving an Amtrak train in recent weeks. Three people were killed and about 100 injured after an Amtrak train derailed in DuPont, Washington, in December. On Wednesday, one person was killed when a train carrying congressional Republicans to a retreat in West Virginia hit a truck near Charlottesville, Virginia.
Amtrak has released a phone number for individuals with questions about passengers on the train to call.
Individuals with questions regarding passengers on train 91 can contact us at 1.800.523.9101
— Amtrak (@Amtrak) February 4, 2018
Local reporter Chad Mills reported that he was told by a source the casualty number isn’t expected to rise and “we dodged a bullet on this one.”
A very good source tells me the casualty number shouldn't rise. "We are very, very lucky," I'm told. "We dodged a bullet on this one." @wis10 #sctweets #BREAKING
— Chad K. Mills (@ChadKMills) February 4, 2018
White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters said in a statement that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the incident and is receiving regular updates. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident,” she said. The president also addressed it on Twitter.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims involved in this mornings train collision in South Carolina. Thank you to our incredible First Responders for the work they’ve done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2018
What we don’t know
The exact cause of the crash, or how fast either train was going at the time of the collision.