Investigators blame crash on high speed

Amtrak train was reportedly speeding before deadly derailment. [Photo: Courtesy]

An Amtrak train derailed on Monday as it took a corner on a new stretch of track in Washington state at more than twice the speed limit, sending passenger cars tumbling from a bridge and killing at least three people.

The train was on its inaugural run on a faster route from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, when 13 of its 14 cars jumped the tracks and tumbled onto a major highway near the town of DuPont.

Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Brooke Bova told a news conference that in addition to the three fatalities, about 100 people were taken to nearby hospitals, of whom 10 had serious injuries.

Seven motor vehicles were also involved in the accident, and fragments of the bridge were left scattered on the highway. Some motorists were injured but none died, authorities said.

Amtrak said there were people 86 aboard the train, 80 of them passengers.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said late on Monday that a data recorder recovered from a rear locomotive showed the train was traveling 80 miles (130 km) per hour in a 30 mile-per-hour zone when it jumped the track at a curve leading up to the bridge.

NTSB spokeswoman Bella Dinh-Zarr told reporters it was too early to tell if the train’s speed contributed to the derailment.

But the accident seems likely to intensify concerns about Railroad Company’s safety record, which was already under scrutiny following a series of fatal incidents.

Investigations by a specified team on Tuesday however indicated that the train was travelling at a speed of 80mph (130km/h) on a curve with a speed limit of 30mph, this according to data from the train's rear engine.

 Officials say 72 people were taken to hospital, while a number of those injured are reported to be in a serious condition.

Authorities said all carriages had now been searched, but would not rule out a rise in the number of dead.

A spokeswoman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said investigators had arrived at the scene on Monday night local time and would probably be there for a week or 10 days.

Bella Dinh-Zarr said the 12-carriage train had engines at the front and rear. The back engine's data recording had been retrieved, she said, and "preliminary indications are that the train was travelling at 80mph on a 30mph track".

"Our hearts go out to everyone who is affected by this very tragic accident," she said.

Seven vehicles, two of them lorries, were hit on the I-5 highway below. Several people were injured in their vehicles but none died.