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A passenger train making the first run on a new route has derailed on a bridge over a major highway in Washington state, sending part of the train crashing down onto the highway and killing at least three passengers, authorities say.
- Some motorists were injured when part of the train struck several vehicles
- The derailment occurred on the first day Amtrak trains began using a new route
- The mayor of one of the towns on the route has said the high-speed trains were dangerously close to cars and pedestrians
The Amtrak train carriage plummeted onto the Interstate 5 highway about 60 kilometres south of Seattle before 8am local time on Monday.
There were 77 passengers and seven crew members on board, officials said, when the train, travelling at about 130 kilometres per hour, derailed.
The speed limit on that stretch of the track is 127kph, according to the state's transport department.
City of DuPont fire chief Larry Creekmore said more than 100 people were taken to hospital.
Hospital officials earlier said more than a dozen of those had critical or serious injuries.
Authorities said all the train carriages had been searched but they couldn't be sure everyone was accounted for.
Thirteen of the train's 14 cars jumped the tracks, and five vehicles plus two semi-trailer trucks were involved in the accident, Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Brooke Bova said.
Some motorists were injured but none died, authorities said.
Amtrak passenger Chris Karnes told local news outlet KIRO 7 that passengers were forced to kick out train windows in order to escape, because emergency doors were not functioning properly following the derailment.
"We had just passed the city of DuPont and it seemed like we were going around a curve," Mr Karnes said.
"All of a sudden, we felt this rocking and creaking noise, and it felt like we were heading down a hill.
"The next thing we know, we're being slammed into the front of our seats, windows are breaking, we stop, and there's water gushing out of the train. People were screaming."
US President Donald Trump tweeted that the crash "shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly".
Mr Trump said he would unveil his long-delayed infrastructure proposal after Congress passes its tax bill.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency due to "loss of life, injuries and damage to infrastructure".
The section of track where an Amtrak train derailed had just been upgraded as part of a $US181 million ($236 million) project for a new faster route.
The derailment occurred on the first day Amtrak trains began using the new route between the cities of Tacoma and Olympia, part of a project to reduce travel time, according to an October news release from the state's transportation department.
The new route takes trains along Interstate 5, eliminating a major choke point for passenger trains in Tacoma, the release said.
It was not immediately clear whether the derailment, which came during a busy travel time one week before the Christmas holiday, was connected to the new route.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter that it was gathering information about the incident.
"Thank you to the first responders on the scene," Washington Governor Jay Inslee wrote in a Twitter message.
"We're praying for everyone on board the train, and ask everyone to hold them in your thoughts."
The mayor of one of the towns through which the rerouted trains travel warned earlier this month that the high-speed trains were dangerously close to cars and pedestrians.
"Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens," Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson told transportation officials in early December, according to Seattle's KOMO News.
Reuters/AP
Topics: rail, united-states
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