UPDATE: Tragically, three passengers were killed, 50 were injured.
An Amtrak train traveling to Chicago has derailed near Kansas City, with multiple casualties reported.
Amtrak Southwest Chief Train Derails Near Kansas City
The eastbound Southwest Chief is Amtrak’s daily service from Los Angeles to Chicago. Today, Train 4 derailed after striking a truck in Mendon, Missouri, a town of only 163 people according to the 2020 census. The closest major city is Kansas City, located about 100 miles west.
Dax McDonald, a passenger onboard, shared the following photos:
The train I was traveling on derailed on the way to Iowa near Mendon Missouri pic.twitter.com/YndSEEXkto
— Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022
Here’s video from inside the train:
A view inside the train, nothing graphic pic.twitter.com/i38fgUbxm3
— Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022
Residents of Mendon have stepped up to offer shelter to the distressed passengers:
So thankful for the people here, safely at the Northwestern high school near Mendon. This town pulled together to help everyone pic.twitter.com/RYAVvQRlPm
— Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022
Amtrak has released the following statement:
On June 27 at 12:42 p.m. CT, Southwest Chief Train 4, traveling eastbound on BNSF track from Los Angeles to Chicago, derailed 8 cars and 2 locomotives after striking a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri. There were approximately 243 passengers and 12 crew members onboard with early reports of injuries. Local authorities are currently assisting customers. Our Incident Response Team has been activated, and we are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs. Individuals with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. Additional details will be provided as available.
We will monitor this story and provide updates, as appropriate.
This is breaking news.
Do we know if Trump has been accused by CNN/Pelosi of driving the dump truck yet?…..or is this one Putin’s fault?
C’mon man!
No but they will find a way to blame the 42 dead illegals in a Trailer in San Antonio on Trump. The media certainly won’t blame Joe and the Ho.
What is with politicizing everything on this blog. Get a life.
Amen. There are so many trolls such as my adult-child Random gawande and other people saying very politicized things on the left and on the right. These days Random gawande has not been on this website as I have stripped Random gawande’s privileges from using the internet these days.
why does it feel like amtrak is always having accidents
why can’t we get the rail into the 21st century,
and not have to rely solely on air travel
The USA has rail, it’s called air travel. You really want to spend at least 48 hours getting to your meeting in LAX when you live in Chicago? The tourists love it and some locals who have plenty of time but that’s about it. The distances are just too far.
I agree it seems like Amtrak is always having accidents, but I wouldn’t blame them so much as a populace that doesn’t take rail crossings seriously. This accident was caused by a truck blocking the tracks (according to initial reports). Many other accidents are from hitting pedestrians. Trains can’t stop like that, people.
It’s a fair point.