Two Dead, Dozens Injured After Train Crashes In Chester
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two Amtrak workers are dead and dozens of passengers were injured after a train struck a piece of construction equipment causing a derailment in Chester, Delaware County.
The accident was reported around 8 a.m. Sunday near Booth Street on the Palmetto train 89.
According to Amtrak, a train traveling from New York to Savannah, Georgia struck a backhoe that was on the tracks causing the lead engine to derail.
"I heard a loud crash," said Tierra Byrd, who lives nearby. "I saw the train go by and thought it was coming into the house."
Amtrak said there were approximately 341 passengers and seven crew members on board.
Two Amtrak construction workers on the tracks at the time were killed in the crash and at least 35 passengers were injured, according to authorities.
Officials on Monday identified the two victims as Joseph Carter, 61, and Peter John Adamovich, 59.
All of the injuries to passengers were non-life-threatening.
PHOTOS: Amtrak Train Crash
"We got off track and then there was like a big explosion. Then there was a fire," said Linton Thomas, who was traveling to his father's home in North Carolina. "Then the windows burst out. And some people were cut up, but it was just minor injuries."
READ: Passengers Recount Ordeal After Amtrak Train Crash In Chester
Local emergency crews are on the scene.
The accident is being investigated by the NTSB with help from Amtrak.
Service was being impacted on the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware as a result of the crash.
Displaced passengers were being transported to 30th Street Station.
Individuals with questions about their friends and family on train 89 should call Amtrak's Emergency Hotline at 1-800-523-9101.
The crash is the second derailment of an Amtrak train in the Philadelphia region in under a year.
