A CRASH between a busy Amtrak passenger train and a freight train in South Carolina has left at least two people dead and around 70 injured.
The Amtrak 91 was heading from New York to Miami with about 139 passengers and 8 crew on board when it collided with an CSX goods train at around 2:45am local time (7:35 GMT) near the town of Cayce.
Injuries ranged from cuts and scratches to broken bones, Lexington County spokesman Harrison Cahill said.
Lexington County coroner, Margaret Fisher, confirmed that the two people killed were travelling on the Amtrak train.
The lead engine and several passenger carriages of the Amtrak derailed after coming “in contact” with the freight train, Amtrak said in an emailed statement.
The trains collided near a stretch of tracks by a rail yard about 10 miles south of Columbia, where several track spurs split off for freight cars to be unloaded. Authorities said they have not determined if both trains were moving or if the Amtrak train was diverted on to a side track.
TV footage from the scene showed the aftermath of the crash, with the Amtrak engine on its side and its front crumpled.
The latest fatal crash on America’s rail network is the seventh since 2013 and the second in a week - after an Amtrak carrying members of Congress collided with a truck in Virginia on Wednesday.
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