Two people died and more than 100 others were wounded in the United States when a passenger train struck a freight train Sunday in South Carolina four days after another train crash that killed one person.
The passenger train of the Amtrak Public Rail Company, which ran from New York to Miami, struck a CSX freight train and derailed in Cayce, near Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, on Sunday. 2:30, police said, noting that all passengers had been evacuated.
Two people died, said the sheriff’s office, without giving more details. All passengers were evacuated from the train and 116 people were taken to the hospital.
The freight train was empty and stationary, Governor Henry McMaster announced at a press conference. “It looks like the Amtrak train was on the wrong track. The CSX train was on its loading lane, “he added. The passenger train “is hardly recognizable” because of the violence of the shock, he said.
Local authorities have also reported a leak of nearly 20,000 liters of fuel caused by the accident that was clogged in the early morning.
“The accident took place near the farm produce market and other residential areas,” said a South Carolina state emergency services official.
Amtrak said in a statement that the locomotive and passenger cars had derailed. A total of 139 passengers were on board, as well as eight employees of the company.
“I was sleeping when I was awakened by the impact. The staff came very quickly and got everyone out of the train quietly. First aid arrived after 10-20 minutes, “one of the passengers told CNN television channel Derek Pettaway. “Nobody panicked,” he added.
Passengers able to travel were transported to their destination by bus. The National Transportation Safety Council (NTSB), a federal agency, has opened an investigation, while President Donald Trump has been informed of the accident, according to the White House.
The collision comes just four days after a train accident involving Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan.
One person was killed and six others injured, including one elected to Congress, in a train-to-truck accident in Virginia (southeast).
In December, three people died in a derailment in northwestern Washington State near Tacoma, which tipped several cars off a bridge on a highway.
“We need to have a national debate” on rail safety, warned South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Sunday. President Trump has promised a major program to renovate transportation infrastructure in the United States, including the rail network.
