3 Dead, Over 100 Injured As Speeding Train Derails On New Route In Washington State

An Amtrak train derailed on Monday as it took a corner on a new stretch of track in Washington state at more than twice the speed limit, sending passenger cars tumbling from a bridge and killing at least three people.

The train was on its inaugural run on a faster route from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, when 13 of its 14 cars jumped the tracks and tumbled onto a major highway near the town of DuPont.

In addition to the three fatalities, about 100 people were taken to nearby hospitals, of whom 10 had serious injuries, Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Brooke Bova told a news conference.

Seven motor vehicles were also involved in the accident, and fragments of the bridge were left scattered on the highway. Some motorists were injured but none died, authorities said.

Amtrak said there were people 86 aboard the train, 80 of them passengers.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said late on Monday that a data recorder recovered from a rear locomotive showed the train was travelling 80 miles (130 km) per hour in a 30 mile-per-hour zone when it jumped the track at a curve leading up to the bridge.

NTSB spokeswoman Bella Dinh-Zarr told reporters it was too early to tell if the train’s speed contributed to the derailment.