Skip to navigationSkip to content

At least three people have been killed and scores more injured in a passenger train derailment near Tacoma, Washington. The Associated Press reports that an Amtrak train carrying 78 passengers derailed while traveling at more than 80 mph, sending several cars onto the busy Interstate 5 below.

The train was making its inaugural trip along a new route from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon aiming to allow for higher speeds and faster service between cities. At least 50 people were sent to hospitals, more than a dozen with critical or serious injuries, the AP reported. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
A view of the Amtrak train that derailed onto Interstate 5 in DuPont, Washington on Dec. 18.
Reuters/Nick Adams
First responders at the scene of an Amtrak passenger train which derailed in DuPont, Washington on Dec. 18.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Cars from an Amtrak train remain on the tracks above where other cars plunged below onto Interstate 5.
Washington State Patrol/Handout via EPA
A photo from the Washington State Patrol shows the scene after the Amtrak derailment.
Pierce County Sheriff's Department/Handout via EPA
First responders at the scene of the Amtrak derailment in Washington State on Dec. 18.
Pierce County Sheriff's Department/Handout via EPA
A photo from the Pierce County Sheriffs Department shows the train that derailed onto Interstate 5.
Pierce County Sheriff's Department/Handout via EPA
A photo from the Pierce County Sheriffs Department shows some of the damage after the train 501 fell onto Interstate 5.
KOMO-TV via AP
Train cars are scattered along the tracks in this aerial image from video provided by KOMO-TV.
Washington State Department of Transportation/Handout via Reuters
A still image from a video provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows how highway traffic was affected by the derailment.

Read next: A Washington state mayor predicted the new Amtrak line would cause fatalities