2 dead after Amtrak train derails

By The Associated Press

news@abc6.com

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) _ Authorities say an Amtrak train struck a piece of construction equipment just south of Philadelphia, killing two people and injuring more than 30.

Amtrak said Train 89 hit a backhoe that was on the track in Chester, about 15 miles from Philadelphia, at about 8 a.m. Sunday. The lead engine of the train derailed. The train was carrying more than 300 passengers and seven crew members and was heading from New York to Savannah, Georgia.

Chester fire commissioner Travis Thomas said two people were killed. They were not passengers on the train. More than 30 people were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

Service on the Northeast Corridor was suspended between Wilmington and Philadelphia, but service to New York remained operational.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating.

© The Associated Press WLNE-TV  2016