MENDON, Mo. — Multiple people have died and at least 50 injured after an Amtrak Southwest Chief train hit a dump truck at a public crossing and derailed near Mendon, north of Marshall.
The derailment happened about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, or about two hours by car. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said at least eight cars in total derailed.
The Chariton County Ambulance Service could not confirm at this time how many people were killed.
Amtrak confirms there were 243 passengers on the train and 12 crew members at the time.
A spokesperson from MU Health Care confirmed at least three patients were taken by ambulance and helicopter to their hospital. The hospital could not comment on the status of their injuries. FOX4 is working to determine the status of other injured travelers.
Family members who are looking for updates about loved ones traveling on the train can call Amtrak at 800-523-9101.
Pictures and video of the scene show passengers sitting on the side of multiple overturned train cars.
A video from Rob Nightingale, seen at the top of this story, shows the chaos after the train derailed. The train left Kansas City in route to Chicago on Monday afternoon. In full, the Southwest Chief route runs from Los Angeles to Chicago.
FOX4 video above and photos below show dozens of emergency crews responding to the area.
A number of people with injuries were bussed to a nearby high school for treatment. Emergency responders also called for a mass casualty trailer and all local emergency services from surrounding areas to report to the crash scene, according to dispatch audio shared on Broadcastify.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson had just learned about the derailment when he make an appearance at an event in Kansas City on Monday afternoon.
“It’s a terrible situation, I do know that several cars have been derailed. We do believe there could be some fatalities, but again it’s way early on,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said. “It’s very unfortunate any time you have a derailment of a train and multiple cars, it’s not a good day.”
This is a developing story; check back with FOX4 for updates.
