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Amtrak train derails outside Kansas City, leaving 4 dead and dozens injured

Photos from Twitter user Dax McDonald showing an Amtrak train crash in Mendon, Missouri on June 27, 2022.
Dax McDonald
/
Twitter
Photos from Twitter user Dax McDonald showing an Amtrak train crash in Mendon, Missouri on June 27, 2022.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

Four people are dead and dozens more injured after an Amtrak train derailed near Mendon, Missouri — about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City.

Seven cars and two locomotives left the rails after hitting a dump truck at a public crossing, according to Amtrak. The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed three people died Monday, including the driver of the dump truck. On Tuesday, MSHP confirmed a fourth death — a passenger who died at University Hospital in Columbia. Approximately 150 people were transported from the scene to 10 area hospitals to be treated for minor to serious injuries.

The Southwest Chief left from Kansas City Monday morning on a trip that had started in Los Angeles and was headed to Chicago with about 275 passengers and 12 crew members.

The accident happened at a public crossing in Mendon. According to Eric Brown, a lieutenant with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crossing was uncontrolled and did not have lights or a stop arm to warn of an oncoming train.

“It's an uncontrolled crossbuck intersection on a gravel road. So no lights, no electronic control devices, things such as that,” Brown said. “A lot of your rural intersections are that way.”

At an appearance in Kansas City, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said they were closely monitoring the situation.

“We're just getting initial information in like, like most of you here, you know, it's, it's a terrible situation,” Parson said. “Anytime you have a derailment of a train and multiple cars, it's not a good day. So, you know, right now our thoughts and prayers are with the people that were on that train, the family, the rescue people.”

Passengers were bused to Mendon High School.

Medical helicopters transported injured passengers to trauma centers in Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri, according to the Washington Post.

"Things were tossed everywhere," said Jae Han Bernardo, who was heading home to Chicago from Los Angeles when the collision woke him.

"Once we came to a stop, it was just trying to gather our bearings, trying to access what just happened," Bernardo told KCUR.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a tweetthat it is sending a 14-person team to investigate the incident.

The Sheridan, Lynn and Randolph counties sheriffs offices; Brookfield and Macon police departments; the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri State Park Rangers, Missouri State Fire Marshals; and ambulances from Sheridan, Lynn, Randolph, Livingston, Macon, Howard, Carol and Caldwell counties all assisted with rescue efforts.

The Midwest Newsroom's Daniel Wheaton designed the map included in this report.

Updated: June 28, 2022 at 12:21 PM CDT
This story was updates to include an additional death reported Tuesday and latest injury totals.
When news breaks, it can be easy to rely on officials and people in power to get information fast. As KCUR’s general assignment and breaking news reporter, I want to bring you the human faces of the day’s biggest stories. Whether it’s a local shop owner or a worker on the picket line, I want to give you the stories of the real people who are driving change in the Kansas City area. Email me at savannahhawley@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @savannahhawley.