An Amtrak passenger train heading to New York City derailed and tipped over in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, reducing several carriages to ripped up metal, killing at least five people.
More than 140 people were hospitalised, and six were critically injured. The train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members.
Train 188, a Northeast Regional, had left Washington, D.C. The front of the train was going into a turn when the mishap unfolded.
It is a devastating scene down there. We walked the entire length of the train area, and the engine completely separated from the rest of the train, and one of the cars is perpendicular to the rest of the cars. It’s unbelievable.
– Michael Nutter, Mayor, Philadelphia
The cause of the derailment, which shut down service on the busy Northeast Corridor, was unknown. Amtrak said it was investigating.
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