AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
An Amtrak train making the first-ever run along a faster new route hurtled off an overpass Monday near Tacoma and spilled some of its cars onto the highway below, killing at least six people, authorities said. The death toll was expected to rise, the Associated Press reported.
Seventy-eight passengers and five crew members were aboard when the train moving at more than 80 mph derailed about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Seattle on a route that had raised safety concerns.
Preliminary signs indicate that Train 501 may have struck something before going off the track.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said several vehicles on Interstate 5 were struck by falling train cars and multiple motorists were injured. No fatalities of motorists were reported.
