By AP/KWMU
Blackwell, Mo. – There were no major injuries Wednesday night when an Amtrak train derailed in Jefferson County, near De Soto.
The Texas Eagle was headed from Chicago to Texas when it apparently hit boulders that had fallen on the tracks during a rockslide. Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham says three cars and an engine jumped the tracks. "Apparently there had some rough weather in that area," said Graham. "There were some very large boulders on the track that the train may have hit."
Amtrak says 103 passengers and crew were on board.
Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer says the train was moving slowly through a winding area when it hit the rockslide. It's not known what caused the slide, though that area got more than an inch of rain two nights ago.
Eleven people went to a nearby hospital with minor injuries