Amtrak train collides with dump truck, derails in Missouri

MENDON, Mo. (AP) — A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in Missouri on Monday afternoon and initial reports indicate that some people aboard were injured, Amtrak said.

The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon at 1:42 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said.

Social media posts from the scene show several rail cars on their sides. The Missouri Highway Patrol said eight cars derailed.

Three passengers were taken from the scene to University Hospital in Columbia, hospital spokesman Eric Maze said. He did not have information on their conditions.

The Highway Patrol and other local law enforcement units were at the scene to help and Amtrak said it has deployed resources to the site.

Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.

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This story has been corrected to show that the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago.