Three dead, at least 50 injured after Amtrak train derails in Missouri: Officials

(MENDON, Mo.) — Three people are dead and dozens are injured after an Amtrak train derailed after hitting a dump truck that was in an uncontrolled public crossing in Mendon, Missouri, according to Amtrak and officials.

Eight passenger cars and two locomotives, which is where the engines are, derailed at about 12:42 p.m. local time, Amtrak said.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Justin Dunn said two of the train passengers were killed, along with someone who was in the dump truck.

Eric McKenzie, the superintendent with Chariton County Ambulance Service, told ABC News at least 50 people were injured.

The train was en route from Los Angeles to Chicago with 243 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time of the crash, Amtrak said. All the train occupants from the scene were evacuated, according to Dunn.

Dozens of people have been hospitalized. Officials at Hendrick Medical Center accepted seven patients from the scene, while officials at MU Health Care University Hospital/Columbia said its facility was treating 16 patients as of 10 p.m. ET. Pershing Memorial Hospital received between 15 and 20 people from the accident.

Passenger Rob Nightingale, 58, told ABC News Live his car tipped to the side and he climbed through a window to escape. He said he saw a little girl crying and her family trying to comfort her.

Nightingale said he saw some people covered in blood.

Missouri Public Safety officials, highway patrol troopers and other personnel are responding, Gov. Mike Parson tweeted.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is launching a 14-member go-team to investigate the crash. The team is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.

Mendon is about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri.

This comes one day after an Amtrak train collided with a car in California, killing three people.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement, “My thoughts are with the victims and families affected by today’s Missouri train derailment and the Northern California collision that occurred over the weekend. I have been updated on these crashes and my team is in communication with Amtrak and the relevant authorities.”

FRA personnel are en route to Mendon, where they will support NTSB investigators, he added.

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

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