AMTRAK Derailment Near Lacey Update – 6 Dead, 77 Injured

An AMTRAK train derailed and left six people dead and 70 hurt this morning when 13 train cars came off the track and several rained down on traffic on Interstate 5.

Five cars and two semi-trucks were struck by the falling train, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Brooke Bova. A few drivers were injured but none of the people on the highway died.

Reports are changing as rescue workers continue sifting through the wreckage, but the latest report is six people died and 77 people were taken to seven hospitals in the region, according to news reports.

It was the first run for Train 501 on a new line of track. The Pt. Defiance Bypass Project was designed to avoid slow curves and narrow tunnels on the BNSF Railway. The $100 million state project was to improve train traffic and save time.

The train was leaving Seattle for Portland at 6 a.m. and was derailed by 7:45 a.m.

Initial  reports list the speed of the train at 81 mph, two above the safety rating in the curved section where it derailed.