At least 2 people are dead and at least another 70 injured after an Amtrak passenger train collided with a freight train in South Carolina early Sunday morning, officials said, ABC reports.
The two deaths occurred in the Amtrak train, not the freight train, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed.
Injuries ranged from minor cuts to broken bones, a spokesman for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division told CNN.
15:15 (GMT +4)
An Amtrak passenger train travelling from New York to Miami has derailed after crashing into a freight train in South Carolina, US, US media reports.
Police confirmed two people have died and more than 50 are injured. The two trains collided at around 2.30am just outside of Colombia, with early reports suggesting there are several ‘walking wounded’.
Amtrak originally said there were ‘injuries reported’ among the 139 passengers and eight crew on the train.
The Lexington Sheriff department then tweeted: ‘Two fatalities in passenger train versus freight train.’
The crash happened on Amtrak’s ‘Silver Service’ – an overnight line that connects New York and Miami with dozens of local stops along the way. Emergency services remain at the scene.