Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia said five people were killed when a commuter train derailed outside the city late Tuesday night.
Multiple emergency units responded when the Amtrak train carrying at least 243 passengers and crew went off the tracks during a trip from Washington, D.C. to New York City.
Nutter said six cars and the train's engine were involved in the crash, which he described to reporters as an "absolute, disastrous mess."
More than 200 firefighters and police officers swarmed the darkened crash site with flashlights searching for any passengers who may be trapped in the wreckage. Television footage showed many passengers covered with blood. Six passengers were critically injured.
One of the passengers, former U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy, took photos of the wreckage and rescue operations and sent them out via Twitter.
Amtrak, the government-funded national passenger rail service, has cancelled service between Washington and New York. The National Transportation Safety Board said a team of investigators will arrive at the crash site Wednesday morning to begin a formal investigation.
News by voanews.
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