JOPLIN, Mont. (AP/VINnews) — Three people are dead, and multiple people were injured Saturday when an Amtrak train that runs between Seattle and Chicago derailed Saturday afternoon in north-central Montana, the train agency said.
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The Empire Builder train derailed at 4 p.m. near Joplin, a town of about 200, Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said in a statement. The accident scene is about 150 miles (241 kilometers) north of Helena and about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the border with Canada.
The train had about 147 passengers and 13 crew members onboard, Abrams said.
Amtrak was working with the local authorities to transport injured passengers and safely evacuate all other passengers, Abrams added.
Photos posted to social media showed several cars on their sides. Passengers were standing alongside the tracks, some carrying luggage.
The images showed sunny skies, and it appeared the accident occurred along a straight section of tracks.