Mendon, Mo. – Amtrak has confirmed there is a train derailment involving 243 people in northwest Missouri. Amtrak says several cars derailed on a train that was going from Los Angeles to Chicago. The crash happened after the train hit a dump truck at a public crossing in the town of Mendon around 1:42 p.m.
There are reports of injuries. Local authorities are helping passengers on the scene.
Amanda Drinkard tells Spectrum News she was traveling with Kansas City area high school students to Chicago for the Future Business Leaders of America conference. The passengers are being taken to a local high school.
Another passenger tweeted that the train he was on derailed. The pictures he shared shows passengers being pulled through an opening of an overturned train car. He also tweeted that there is debris littering the tracks.
The Missouri governor posted on Facebook that he is saddened to hear about the derailment. He says the Missouri Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Public Safety, and other first responders are helping the victims.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update it with more information as it becomes available.
