Three confirmed dead in Amtrak derailment

A US passenger train was travelling 80kph over the speed limit when it derailed onto a highway south of Seattle, in the state of Washington in the United States’ north-west, authorities have said.

According to Associated Press, local authorities have confirmed three are dead, and 10 have serious injuries, after 13 carriages from an Amtrak train derailed on an overpass, with several carriages falling to the highway below, just after 7.30am on Monday morning (local time).

The train was reportedly making its first run on a new route, which is part of a $236 million project to improve services on the route. It was not full, with around 80 passengers and five crew onboard.

National Transportation Safety Board member Bella Dinh-Zarr told the press the event data recorder on the train’s rear locomotive showed it was travelling at 128kph in a 48kph zone, prior to the derailment.

According to the authorities, the track’s speed limit drops from 127kph to 48kph in the lead-up to the curve where the train derails.

Dinh-Zahr said “it’s too early to tell” why the train failed to slow down prior to the curve, saying the NTSB planned to talk with the engineer and other crew members.

Technology to automatically slow the train down was not in place on this section of track, authorities confirmed.

US President Donald Trump offered his condolences to those impacted by the crash.

He also said the incident was an unfortunate reminder of the need for more infrastructure funding.

“The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly,” the president tweeted.

“Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!”