Cpl. Justin Dunn, a spokesman for Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B, told reporters that two of those killed were on the train and the train collided with a third dump truck.
Authorities said the tragedy occurred at an uncontrolled intersection with a gravel road crossing the railroad in the southwest of the city – without warning lights or motion gates.
CT (1:42 pm ET) At 12:42 pm, Amtrak said the train collided with a dump truck at a public crossing near the town of Mendon.
Eight cars and two engines left the track “after hitting a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri,” company officials said in an updated statement. Ton told reporters that seven cars were derailed.
Amtrak had previously said the train had about 243 passengers and 12 crew on board.
A school has been converted into a testing center for victims with minor injuries, officials said.
Everything was in slow motion, passengers said
Robert Nightingale, who was traveling in a sleeper car, said he was asleep when he heard something.
“It all happened like slow motion. It started playing, and it started playing, and then it started flashing, and then all of a sudden – all this dust was through my window,” said Nightingale, of Davos, New Mexico. Told CNN.
He said the train fell on the side where his box was.
The uninjured Nightingale could not go by herself through the dirty window, so he grabbed his backpack and climbed into the hallway. Then he went to an adjoining room, where he found a way to get out and climbed on the side of the train.
He said he and others helped some others reach the ground in front of the train. That said it looks like there are big rocks in the truck.
“It hit something big … every car had to leave,” he said.
Boy scouts help the injured
Scott Armstrong, director of the national media for the Boy Scouts of America, told CNN on Monday that two Boy Scout troops from Appleton, Wisconsin, boarded the Amtrak train to help the wounded.
Armstrong said the scouts on the train were believed to be between the ages of 14 and 17 and that none of them were injured. Eight adults were with the troops.
Armstrong said the two troops, who were staying at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, were returning.
Second terrible collision in 2 days
Menton is located 100 miles northeast of Kansas City. The train was going from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Those who need immediate assistance with information about the train can call 1-800-USA-RAIL or send an SMS, Amtrak said.
CNN’s Andi Babineau contributed to this report.
