What Caused The Amtrak Train Derailment?

UPDATE: Dec. 19, 2017, 9:39 a.m. EST: As of Monday evening the Washington State Patrol confirmed three fatalities due to the crash with 10 patients in serious condition. The other passengers that were on the train had moderate, minor, or no injuries. In a press conference Monday evening NTSB Board Member Bella Dinh-Zarr said that the data recorder on board showed that at the time of the derailment and subsequent crash the train was speeding. It was traveling at 80 miles per hour, 50 mph faster than it should have been in the 30 mph zone of the tracks, The Chicago Tribune reported.

UPDATE: 3:05 p.m. EST - The Associated Press reported that there were six fatalities Monday, although officials had not confirmed that number to International Business Times. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are scheduled to arrive at the site of the crash Monday afternoon to begin an investigation into what happened. During a press conference Monday, NTSB Board Member Bella Dinh-Zarr said it is still too soon to tell what caused the accident.

UPDATE: 1:40 p.m. EST - The Pierce County Sheriff's Department tweeted that there were no official numbers for deaths or injuries as of 1:15 p.m. EST. Additionally, the Public Information Officer for Pierce County, Trooper Brooke Bova, had not released any information confirming or denying any fatalities.

Original story:

An Amtrak train traveling from Seattle to Portland Monday morning derailed near Interstate 5 just south of Tacoma, Washington, with 78 passengers and five crew members on board.

"Amtrak is aware of an incident with Train 501, Cascades service from Seattle to Portland. Emergency services are on the scene and Amtrak management is responding. Some injuries are reported. Amtrak service south of Seattle is temporarily suspended. Service from Seattle to points north and east is continuing to operate," an Amtrak spokesperson told International Business Times.

There are known injuries both of train passengers as well as passengers who were in vehicles traveling along the interstate at the time of the derailment. While some vehicular passengers are injured, there are no confirmed fatalities among those who were traveling by car during the incident, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Twitter account.

"Initial reports are that some injuries are reported to passengers and crew, and taken to local medical facilities for treatment," Amtrak said in a statement on Twitter.

Monday marked the first day that new high-speed train service was introduced along with a new route that brought the trains further inland along the I-5 instead of along the water, the Seattle Times reported.

Amtrak had not released a cause of the derailment as of 12 p.m. EST, but CBS News reported that speed may have been a factor. Information about the train and its stops, as well as the speeds it had been traveling, were unavailable on Amtrak’s website.

Amtrak advised anyone looking for information on family members or friends who were on the train to contact 800-523-910.

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