At least seven people were killed and more than 200 others were injured when an Amtrak train abruptly overturned in Philadelphia Tuesday night, smashing part of the train into a crumpled pile of steel and forcing survivors to scramble through the windows of toppled cars to escape the mangled wreckage.
Six cars and the engine of Amtrak Regional 188 careened off the the tracks in the Frankford Junction neighborhood at about 9:20 p.m., about an hour before it was scheduled to arrive at Penn Station in Manhattan.
Seven people, including a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman from Queens and an Associated Press staffer from New Jersey, were killed in the derailment. Four bodies were found inside the train, two were found outside and one of the seven confirmed dead died at the hospital, authorities said.
More than 200 of the 243 people aboard the train were taken to the hospital after the derailment; six were in critical condition. The train's engineer was listed among those hurt.
Sources familiar with the investigation into the derailment have said that the train was going more than 100 mph at some time before the derailment. The speed, revealed by the train's data recorder, would be between 30 and 50 mph above the rail line's speed limit; the top speed drops from 70 mph to 50 mph at the curve where the train derailed.
The revelation comes hours after National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived on scene to investigate the derailment NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said investigators will examine data from the black box and would examine look at signals, track conditions, the train's mechanical upkeep and other factors at the crash site.
The NTSB will also interview passengers and employees aboard the train and will be working with Federal Railroad Administration investigators during the case.
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Heavy machinery, including cranes, were being used to clear the mangled remnants of the train from the tracks.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said the train cars, some of which completely flipped over, were “in various stages of disarray" after derailing. At a news briefing Wednesday, Nutter emphasized the investigation was in its preliminary stages and said authorities would not speculate on any potential developments.
"There are some things we know; there are many things we do not know," Nutter said. "This is a fully coordinated operation, everyone understands their role."
Nutter said most of the passengers are expected to be New York, New Jersey or Washington, D.C. residents. He said he is working with Mayor de Blasio, as well as Washington, D. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in the relief efforts.
Rachel Jacobs, a Philadelphia CEO who lived in New York, according to co-workers, was reported missing after the derailment. A family friend said Jacobs, a mother of two, was on the train.
Passengers described a chaotic and bloody scene where travelers flew from out of their seats and train cars filled with smoke. Responding police officers warned passengers trying to escape the wreckage to keep away from the tracks, fearing overhead electrical poles would collapse inward.
"This is the Amtrak family," he said. "We are very saddened by what has occurred."
Gov. Christie said he often rides the route of the train that derailed and called the crash "really disconcerting."
Gov. Cuomo also announced that the Empire State would be sending emergency responders to the crash site to provide support following the crash.
"New Yorkers have always come together to help others in times of crisis, and that is exactly what we are doing today," he said.
Frankford Junction, the scene of Tuesday night’s deadly derailment, has seen devastation before. In 1943, the Congressional Limited careened off the tracks with 541 passengers on-board including many service members on leave. Seventy-nine passengers were killed and 117 were injured in one of the worst rail disasters of its day.
Amtrak will be operating with modified service between Washington and Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Philadelphia and New York and Boston Wednesday. See more updates on travel alternatives here.
Amtrak has set up a hotline for concerned friends and relatives at 800-523-9101.
-- Jonathan Dienst contributed to this report.
