Amtrak train derails in Washington; minor injuries reported, authorities say
STEILACOOM, Wash. -- Police responded to a scene where an Amtrak train derailed, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reports.
Authorities said several people suffered minor injuries in Steilacoom -- a town in Washington state's Pierce County.
The locomotive and the baggage car of the Amtrak Cascades train derailed around 2:30 p.m. The train, which was carrying 267 passengers, derailed near the Chamber Bay golf course, which was the site of the 2015 U.S. Open.
#GigHarbor PD patrol boat assisting at scene of train derailment at Chambers Bay/Steilacoom area. pic.twitter.com/ni4YareJOX
— Gig Harbor Police (@GigHarborPolice) July 2, 2017
Amtrak said in a statement that the passengers are being taken to Tacoma aboard five buses.
Photos posted on social media show several cars of the train tipped over on the tracks, near the waters of the bay.
The Gig Harbor Police Department said one of its patrol boats was helping environment officials put in pollution-control booms to block fuel from the derailment from leaking into a nearby body of water.
The cause of the derailment is under investigation, Amtrak said.
The railroad tracks on which the locomotive derailed was reopened shortly before 6 p.m. for service at limited speeds, Amtrak said.
Service usually runs between Vancouver, Canada, and Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, according to local reports.
Steilacoom is about 45 miles south of Seattle.