Three People Dead In Amtrak Train Derailment In Montana - Liberty County Sheriff's Office

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2021) At least three people died as a result of the Amtrak train derailment near the town of Joplin in the US state of Montana, a spokesperson at Liberty County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Sputnik.

"We do have three fatalities," the spokesperson said, adding that there was no official count on the number of injured yet.

According to US media reports, over 50 people were injured in the Saturday incident.

Amtrak said that five cars on the Empire Builder train (the line runs between Seattle and Chicago) derailed near Joplin on Saturday, at around 04:00 p.

m. local time (22:00 GMT). There were around 147 passengers and 13 crew members on board the train.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the derailment.

"The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Saturday's derailment of Amtrak's Empire Builder train near Joplin, Montana. Team will be based in Great Falls, Montana," the NTSB said on Twitter.

The cause of the derailment remains unclear.