Amtrak Derailment in Mo.

ByABC News
July 29, 2001, 7:16 AM

July 29 -- An Amtrak train headed to Texas derailed in southeast Missouri this morning, leaving at least 10 people injured.

Amtrak's southbound Texas Eagle Number 21 passenger train, traveling from Chicago to San Antonio, Texas, then continuing to Los Angeles, derailed near Sabula, Mo. in Iron County, about 130 miles from St. Louis.

There had been flash flooding in the area, according to the Associated Press. Four to six inches of rain had washed out much of the ground beneath the railroad track.

The 18-car train had 181 passengers, and 12 crew members on board, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Karina VanVeen.

"The entire train did derail, however it is upright," she said.

Wire services report that three of the cars of the train tipped on their side after leaving the tracks.

The 10 injured passengers were taken to two hospitals in nearby Farmington. One woman was in moderate condition after undergoing minorsurgery at the Mineral Area Regional Medical Center inFarmington; six passengers were treated and released.

"The crew saw this section and was beginning to slow down, butit was too late," said Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific which owns the track told the Associated Press. "There was just no support underthe track at that point."

Some emergency crews and vehicles were at the site at the time of the derailment because they had been unable to cross the washed out tracks.

Davis, told the Associated Press that crews were working to remove thederailed cars and repair the track Sunday and Amtrak hoped toresume service on Monday.