At least three killed and dozens injured after train derails in Missouri

27 June 2022, 23:00 | Updated: 28 June 2022, 06:07

At least three people have been killed after a passenger train carrying more than 200 people derailed in Missouri.

More than 50 people were hurt when the train, which was travelling from Chicago to Los Angeles, came off the track as it collided with a lorry in Mendon, about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, on Monday afternoon.

Police called it a "large-scale event" and a local school is being used as a triage centre.

It is thought the Amtrak train, made up of eight cars, hit a dump truck.

Cpl. Justin Dunn, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said the collision happened at an uncontrolled crossing, which does not have lights or devices to warn vehicles when a train is coming. They are common in rural areas.

Two people who died were on the train and one was in the dump truck.

Seven cars derailed and injured people were taken to nearby hospitals.

An investigation into what happened has been launched.

Passenger Robert Nightingale told CNN he was taking a nap when the incident happened.

"I was in my sleeper and I was dozing off. The train was running a bit late so I decided to take a nap before my lunch reservation," he said.

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"And then everything started to go in slow motion. Like I could feel the tracks go back and forth, back and forth."

Footage from inside the train showed passengers sat and stood in a carriage that is tilted on its side, creating a disorientating view as they look around.

It comes just after an Amtrak train crashed into a passenger vehicle in Brentwood, California, where three people were killed and two others suffered serious injuries on Sunday.