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<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nOne passenger carriage could be seen dangling from the bridge, while others were strewn across the road and the wooded area next to the track.<\/p>\n
There were 86 people on board, including 77 passengers and seven Amtrak crew members, as well as a train technician.<\/p>\n
Police say 19 people were taken from the scene uninjured. Of the 72 transferred to hospitals for evaluation, 10 were considered to have serious injuries.<\/p>\n A recording of the train’s emergency call to railway dispatchers was released to US media.<\/p>\n “Emergency! We are on the ground!” a man, possibly the conductor, radios in.<\/p>\n In a second radio call, another crew member reports that only the rear unit remains on the rails.<\/p>\n “All other cars appear to be on the ground in quite a mess,” he says.<\/p>\n The train’s engineer has a head injury, he tells dispatchers.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump’s first reaction to the derailment was to tweet that it showed the need for his forthcoming infrastructure plan.<\/p>\n However US media outlets pointed out his submitted federal transportation budget actually proposed cuts to funding to national rail systems.<\/p>\n The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!<\/p>\n \u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\u00a0December 18, 2017<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He later added that his thoughts and prayers were with those involved.<\/p>\n The section of track where the crash happened has been recently rebuilt and upgraded using federal funds.<\/p>\n Washington’s governor has declared a state of emergency in two counties.<\/p>\n Passenger Chris Karnes, on board the train, said his carriage had careered down an embankment then come to a stop: “We could hear and feel the cars crumpling and breaking apart, and water came out from the ceiling.”<\/p>\n “In order to get out… we had to kick out the emergency window,” he added.<\/p>\n Governor Jay Inslee said he was praying for the many injured.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s tragic incident in Pierce County is a serious and ongoing emergency. Trudi and I are holding in our hearts everyone on board, and are praying for the many injured.<\/p>\n \u2014 Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee)\u00a0December 18, 2017<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Officials set up a family reunification centre at DuPont city hall and asked people not to come to the scene of the crash.<\/p>\n A local news reporter who was on the train, but got off at a stop just before the crash, said many of those on board were railway enthusiasts, keen to experience the first high-speed train on the new route.<\/p>\n Every passenger was given a commemorative lanyard and badge to mark their journey, he said.<\/p>\n The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n![\"BBC](\"https:\/\/ichef-1.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/7810\/production\/_99263703_train_crash_arial_v1640-nc.png\")
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