Horror pics show train wreck with 198 passengers derailed after …
Grim images show the devastation of a derailed[1] Amtrak train carrying around 200 passengers aboard after it crashed into a truck.
The locomotive[2] is believed to have 198 people on board when it struck a water truck and derailed near Moorpark, Southern California.
The horror crash left the train's driver critically injured and he was taken to a trauma centre with a head injury, while 15 others were sent to hospital yesterday.
In new pictures, the truck - a Ventura County vehicle - is shown smashed by the side of the tracks and at least three train cars can be seen leaning on their side.
The derailed train cars remained upright on tracks adjacent to an orchard and bare sections of land.
Titanic submarine experts baffled why parts were not eviscerated in catastrophic implosion[3]
A destroyed truck lies next to a the Amtrak train (
AP)
Three train cars derailed because of the impact and haunting images showed them leaning to the side.
The 14 passengers rushed to the hospital all suffered minor injuries, the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) confirmed in a tweet.
Photographer Michael Coons was present and the scene and tweeted: "There’s a very large response from VCFD.
"There appears to be damage to the tracks as well, will be shut down for a while."
Three cars were shown derailed (
AP)
A small fire was confirmed to have broken out after the derailment but was swiftly put out.
Parts of the demolished Ventura County Public Works truck were scattered all around the derailed train cars.
Ventura County Fire Department Captain Brian McGrath initially said the truck’s driver was believed to have gotten out of the vehicle before the crash, but later clarified that the circumstances leading up to the wreck weren’t known.
The derailed train (
AP)
“No one’s talked to him, so the whole situation is still being investigated,” he said.
Mindy Faver was seated facing the rear of the train after a trip with her mother, Shari Peterson, returning from visiting family in Oregon.
“All of a sudden: Smack!” she said, describing the impact.
Then Ms Faver saw what she later found out was the water truck’s tank tumbling past her window.
(
AP)
“It could have been a lot worse,” she told the Ventura County Star.
Train passengers managed to vacate the derailed locomotive on their own, with some receiving help of first responders who arrived quickly on scene.
The train was carrying passengers and crew members on a trip from Los Angeles to Seattle when it crashed into a water truck, a spokesperson from Amtrak reported.
Parts of the destroyed truck (
AP)
In a statement, Amtrak said: "There were approximately 198 passengers and 13 crew onboard who were evacuated from the train, with no reports of serious injuries.
"Amtrak is working with customers to make alternate travel arrangements. Amtrak, in coordination with local authorities, is conducting a full investigation."
Family members of those on the train can call the department's hotline at (805) 465-6650 for more information.
First responders work the scene after a derailed Amtrak train in Moorpark (
AP)
The crash happened ahead of the busy Fourth of July travel weekend.