At least three people are dead after an Amtrak train derailed in remote northern Montana on Saturday.
Five cars on the train, Empire Builder 7/27, derailed at about 4 p.m. local time near Joplin, according to Amtrak. The rail line confirmed there were injuries in the accident, but offered no more details.
The three deaths were confirmed by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department. Officials did not say how many total were injured.
There were approximately 147 passengers and 13 crew members on board the train, Amtrak said. The train was traveling from Chicago to Seattle.
MORE: New video shows the aftermath of an Amtrak train derailment in Montana that killed at least three people, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department. Officials did not say how many total were injured in the incident. https://t.co/6Cxe5h1jej pic.twitter.com/imB3IOA0Sl
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Several passengers on the train shared images of the front cars off the track, with some tipped on their sides.
It was not immediately clear what caused the derailment.
Liberty County is an extremely rural part of northern Montana, with only a few thousand residents despite being larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.
Great Falls is the largest nearby city, about 100 miles south of Joplin. The state capital of Helena is about three hours south of Joplin by car.
