NTSB investigating Amtrak derailment near Philadelphia, 2 dead

PHILADELPHIA, April 3 (UPI) -- Two Amtrak employees died Sunday after a train hit a backhoe left on the tracks and derailed near Philadelphia.

The train struck the construction vehicle around 8 a.m. Sunday in Chester, Pa., causing the train's engine to leave the tracks, the New York Daily News reported.

At least 35 people on the train were injured, NBC News reported. Some 16 were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Aigner Cleveland, spokeswoman for Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, confirmed the two people killed were Amtrak employees, philly.com reported. The two were struck near the backhoe, the New York Times reported.

"They were on, in or near the backhoe that was struck," Ruth Miller, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said. "I cannot confirm age, gender, name or employer. I simply don't have that information at this point."

Few details have been release so far. One man, who searched for his brother, was consoled by emergency workers on scene, delawareonline.com reported. The man said his brother was working on the tracks during the night and he was not able to reach him after learning of the accident. He later learned his brother died on the tracks Sunday morning.

Passengers said the collision caused a fireball and a plume of smoke.

"There was an explosion, then a fire, then the windows busted out," said Linton Holmes, a 15-year-old from Wilson, North Carolina, who was riding in the back of the train. Holmes said he saw people bloody but their injuries appeared minor.

One witness, who would not give her name, said she heard a loud noise about 7:50 a.m. She said the workers have been performing what appeared to be routine maintenance on the tracks for a week now. The trains typically slow down when they pass behind the row homes near her house, she said, sounding their horns to alert workers of oncoming trains.

Train passenger Adriene Hobdy said the crash led to a "chaotic" scene as passengers tried to ascertain what had happened. "The direct impact was big," the 33-year-old said. "It was terrible, absolutely terrible."

"All you felt was boom, boom, boom boom. Our windows flew out. People were trying to get on the floor, trying to walk," she said.

The train left New York City early Sunday morning bound for Savannah, Ga., carrying 341 passengers and seven crew members, according to a statement from Amtrak.

A United Methodist Church in nearby Trainer was used as a staging scene, NBC 10.com reported. Emergency crews were seen loading people on to waiting vehicles to take them away from the scene to be checked out at local hospitals.

Corp. Steven Byrne with the Chester Police Department said details of the accident are still unclear. "We're trying to make way through this mess."

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration arrived in Chester to investigate.

The accident comes almost a year after another Amtrak accident near Philadelphia claimed the lives of 8 people and injured more than 200 on May 12, 2015 when the speeding train derailed while traveling around curved tracks.

Last month, another Amtrak train derailed in Kansas, although no one was killed in that crash.

The Northeast Corridor service line, one of the nation's busiest, was closed Sunday between New York and the accident site. There is no word on when the tracks will reopen.