Multiple dead after Amtrak train derails in Missouri

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted Monday evening that Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) staff are en route to the deadly Amtrak train derailment in Missouri to support the investigation.  

Buttigieg tweeted, "Saddened by the tragic loss of life and injuries in the Missouri train derailment today & Northern California collision over the weekend."

He said he has been kept updated and his team is in touch with Amtrak & relevant authorities.

The FRA is an agency within the US Department of Transportation.

See Buttigieg's tweet:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be arriving in Mendon, Missouri, Tuesday morning to begin an investigation into the cause of an Amtrak train that derailed Monday, killing at least three people.

In a news conference on Monday, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters that a Go team of 16 investigators will arrive on the scene at 8:30 a.m. CT (9:30 a.m. ET).

“With the team, we’ll have specialists from mechanical, from signal systems from operations and survival factors. We'll have a highway person, a drone operator, and some team members from NTSB’s Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance to work with survivors and families of those who were involved in the derailment,” Homendy said. 

Homendy could not comment on the specifics of the investigation but did say that they are requesting speed data on the route as well as data recorder information and camera footage from Amtrak. 

Initial reports indicate that the accident occurred at an uncontrolled crossing that she said had a stop sign and that investigators will be taking a look at that location. 

Homendy said she could not comment on the injuries or fatalities and that information regarding the investigation will be shared at media briefings that will take tomorrow in Chariton County. 

The train collision in Missouri on Monday was the second in two days in which an Amtrak train hit a passenger vehicle. 

On Sunday, an Amtrak train passing through an intersection without crossing gates in rural Brentwood, California, collided with a passenger vehicle, killing three people and causing major injuries to two others, according to officials.

All five victims were in the vehicle and were attending an event near the train route, said East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Marshal Steve Aubert. The two people injured, an adult and a child, were airlifted to local hospitals and sustained major injuries, he said.

Aerial video of the scene from CNN affiliate KPIX shows a crumpled silver vehicle at rest near the train tracks. The crash occurred at a crossing with a stop sign on each side of the road but no gate arms that would warn of an oncoming train, the video shows.

Read more about that collision here.

Cpl. Justin Dunn, with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said the Chariton County 911 Center received a 911 call of a vehicle struck by a train southwest of Mendon, Missouri.

According to Dunn, preliminary reports indicate that the Amtrak train traveling to Chicago struck a dump truck at a railroad crossing that was “uncontrolled.” An uncontrolled crossing means there were no lights or mechanized arms.

“The train had approximately eight cars including a baggage car. Seven cars have derailed. There are multiple injuries and we can confirm there are three fatalities, two on the train and one in the dump truck,” Dunn said.

Dunn said the number of injuries is unknown at this time and that the injured were transported to area hospitals.

Multiple law enforcement agencies and first responders are assisting.

MSHP Lieutenant Eric Brown said the investigation will continue through the evening hours and into tomorrow, and that the NTSB is aware of the situation.

Amtrak said the train collided with a truck at a public crossing near the city of Mendon, Missouri at about 12:42 p.m. CT (1:42 p.m. ET).

Mendon is about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City. The train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago.

The collision was the second in two days in which an Amtrak train hit a passenger vehicle.

On Sunday, 85 passengers were on board a train in rural California that hit a vehicle. Three people were killed and two people suffered major injuries, according to officials. All of the victims were in the vehicle, the officials added.

Here's a map showing the location of the train derailment:

Cpl. Justin Dunn, with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said at least three people were killed following an Amtrak train derailment. Officials say the train hit a dump truck at an "uncontrolled crossing" — that is when there are no lights or electronic devices that warn cars when trains are coming and are common on rural roads.

Dunn said two of the people who died were inside the train and one was inside the dump truck.

He said a total of seven cars derailed, and dozens of other people who were injured were taken to area hospitals. Dunn added that those who were not hurt were also transported away from the crash.

Officials say the investigation is in the preliminary stages and more information will be released as it continues. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it is still working with Amtrak and the various other area agencies that responded to assist.

CNN’s Amy Simonson contributed reporting to this post.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is launching a 14-member go-team to investigate Monday’s Amtrak derailment near Mendon, Missouri, the agency said in a tweet.

“Chair Jennifer Homendy will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team expected to arrive tomorrow. Check Twitter @ntsb_newsroom for updates,” it continued.

Two Boy Scout troops from Appleton, Wisconsin, were on the Amtrak train that derailed in Western Missouri Monday.

Scott Armstrong, director of National Media for Boy Scouts of America, told CNN Monday that a total of 16 scouts and 8 adult leaders were on the train.

Armstrong says the scouts on the train are believed to be between 14 and 17 years old and he confirmed none of them were hurt. 

All 16 Boy Scouts and their adult leaders stayed on the scene of the train derailment to render aid and assist people that were hurt, according to Armstrong.

The two different troops were on their way back from a stay at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Armstrong said.

Armstrong says Boy Scouts of America is now working to get the scouts and their leaders back to Wisconsin. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be having a 6 p.m. ET news conference on the train derailment near Mendon, Missouri, according to a tweet. 

Director Eric McKenzie with Chariton County Ambulance told CNN that there are multiple fatalities and at least 50 people injured in the incident.