Advertisement Multiple train cars jumped tracks in deadly Amtrak derailment near Seattle Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An Amtrak passenger train derailed Monday morning, spilling multiple cars off a highway overpass and killing multiple people on the train in Pierce County, Washington.Authorities said there were at least three confirmed deaths and more than a dozen people with critical or serious injuries. A U.S. official who was briefed on the investigation said earlier that at least six people were killed. The difference in the numbers could not immediately be reconciled. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The incident happened at 7:40 Monday morning when Amtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 in the city of Dupont, about 50 miles southwest of Seattle. Train 501 was part of a new high-speed service between Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon that launched Monday morning.Sound Transit confirmed to SeattlePI that the Interstate 5 overpass near Mounts Road close to the city of DuPont was part of an area of track with a 30 mph speed limit. According to an online tracker, the train had been moving at 81 miles per hour -- near its maximum speed -- as it came upon the overpass and derailed.The National Transportation Safety Board says they will send a team of 20 to Washington state to investigate the derailment. Amtrak held a press conference Monday afternoon saying NTSB is planning to investigate the speed of the train. The Associated Press reports that an obstruction on the train tracks might have been the cause for the derailment, citing a U.S. official. "When we got to the scene it was obvious that there were some fatalities, and there were a lot of injuries. Some people were able to get off the train," said Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Ed Troyer. "On the other side of that bridge there's three or four more cars that are upside down on the road and in the woods."The sheriff's office says multiple motorists were injured, but none of the fatalities came from motorists. Hospital officials say at least two people are in critical condition and 11 others are seriously injuredSeventy-seven passengers were on board at the time of the derailment, along with five crew members. According to the Associated Press, more than 50 people were hospitalized and more than 100 patients were transported but it didn’t immediately report all of their conditions. At least one person was in surgery Monday.Washington State Police Trooper Brooke Bova told reporters 13 train cars jumped the track in the derailment. Five cars and two semi-trucks were impacted during the derailment.According to the company's online train tracker, the train had been moving at 81 miles per hour -- near the train's maximum speed -- before cars came off the track on an overpass near Mounts Road. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of the derailment. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says President Donald Trump is motioning the situation.Trump tweeted about the derailment Monday afternoon saying the incident is the reason his "infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways""My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the train accident in DuPont, Washington. Thank you to all of our wonderful First Responders who are on the scene," the president said. Photos from the scene show train cars falling onto the highway from the overpass. All southbound lanes of the interstate are closed due to the derailment and the sight stunned motorists heading to work."I was traveling to work this morning along I-5 and we came to a sudden stop," Greg Mukai told CNN. "We all tried to stop quickly to avoid running into each other to be honest. Once we all came to a stop I was able to look up and see, unfortunately, this scary thing of ... a train hanging off of the overpass. Lots of military personnel and people ran to try to help the best they could."Danae Orlob told CNN there was a semi and a crushed truck underneath the train cars."We came around the corner and it had to have just happened...there were no police there yet. There was one link of the train off to one side and the other on the other side of the freeway. There were crushed cars underneath. There was an insane amount of fire trucks and ambulances heading towards us."The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Associated Press contributed to this report.