Amtrak Empire Builder Derailed

USPA NEWS - The Empire Builder operates between Chicago, Seattle and Portland. The train  operates as one east of Spokane, Washington, but west of there splits into two sections, one that travels  to Seattle and trains the other travels to Portland. 

Three Amtrak passengers were killed and more than 50 injured in Montana on Saturday when the Empire Builder  derailed. The fatalities and injuries were confirmed by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department and Amtrak.  Amanda Frickel, the disaster and emergency services coordinator for Hill County, Montana, said, " Injured passengers were taken by ambulance to the towns of Havre, Shelby, Great Falls and Fort Benton, and those who were in critical condition were flown for treatment."

Upon reaching out to Amtrak, the passenger rail carrier released the following statement to USPA News. Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said, "We are deeply saddened to learn local authorities are now confirming that three people have lost their lives as a result of this accident. There are also reported injuries among the passengers and crew members travelling on the train. Amtrak is working with the local authorities to transport those who were injured to medical care, and to safely evacuate everyone else at the scene. The incident happened around 4 p.m. MT when Empire Builder train 7/27 derailed near Joplin, Mont. with approximately 146 passengers and 16 crew members on board. The train has two locomotives and 10 cars, 7 of which derailed." The statement goes on to say, “Our Incident Response Team has been initiated, and we are sending emergency personnel and Amtrak leadership to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs.”

If you have questions about friends or family who were on the Empire Builder that derailed, please call: 800-523-9101. For information concerning scheduling adjustments due to this situation please see the following link. https://www.amtrak.com/alert/empire-builder-derailment-joplin-montana.html or visit www.amtrak.com USPA News will provide updates to this report as information becomes available.