Rural Missouri Amtrak Crash Results in Multiple Fatalities

CHARITON COUNTY, Mo.—On Monday, an Amtrak passenger train struck a dump truck in rural Missouri, killing three people and injuring dozens more.

The Amtrak was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago with approximately 207 passengers and crew members. Officials said seven rail cars tumbled off the tracks in the immediate aftermath of the collision, some of which landed on their sides.

Two of the people killed were on the train and one was in the dump truck, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol. The number of injured persons was not immediately clear, but hospitals reported receiving more than 40 people from the crash on Monday and expected to receive more.

The crash happened near Mendon, Mo., at a remote intersection on a gravel road with no lights or electronic controls. Officials are still trying to determine why the truck was on the tracks. A team of investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board is slated to arrive Tuesday. The tracks will be closed while they gather evidence.

Amtrak is a federal-supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief was the second Amtrak collision to occur in a matter of days. Three people died in a car Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train collided with it in Northern California.