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3 Dead After Amtrak Train Hits Vehicle On Tracks In Mansfield

BOSTON (CBS) - Three people died after an Amtrak train hit a vehicle on the tracks overnight in Mansfield.

Amtrak train 132 from Washington, D.C. was bound for Boston late Sunday night when it slammed into the vehicle around midnight, causing the train to derail.

Check: Amtrak Service Updates

None of the 180 passengers and crew on the train were hurt.

The vehicle was so damaged investigators aren't sure if it was an SUV or a truck.

Three people in it were killed, two males and one female.  Their names and ages have not been released.

Authorities initially said two people died, but Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 that investigators later found a third victim.

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It's still not clear where the vehicle entered the tracks or how it ended up there, but it was dragged for at least a mile.

Mansfield police chief Ron Sellon said there are "multiple access points" along the tracks for miles.

Authorities said at a news conference late Monday morning that the debris field is difficult to access because it's a densely wooded area.

"What we have is a very large crime scene, we have a very long extended investigation ahead of us, and we really can't get into it too much beyond that point," Sellon said.

Deputy MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Sprague said the train speed limit in the area is 125 miles per hour, but it's not clear how fast it was going at the time of impact.

The MBTA took the stranded passengers to Boston after the crash.

Amtrak Acela Express and Northeast Regional service between Boston and Providence was suspended, but resumed just after 7 a.m. as trains used the adjacent tracks.

There were also delays on the MBTA's Providence and Stoughton line.

Check: MBTA Service Updates

No other details are available at this point in the investigation.

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