Amtrak derailment in Chester, Pa. kills two

An Amtrak train was derailed Sunday morning, leaving two dead and 35 injured a mere 15 miles outside Philadelphia in Chester, Pa., the Chester Fire Department told CNN.

The train crashed into a backhoe with two construction workers in it and derailed. There were seven crew members and 341 passengers on the train.

According to CNN, passengers could tell that something was wrong, and some speculated that they might have been passing through a construction site after feeling gravel and debris on the tracks.

The train remained upright and only the lead engine of the train was derailed. The brunt of the impact was felt by the first car, which had its roof torn open and some windows broken.

The accident comes less than a year after another Amtrak train derailed outside Philadelphia on its route from Washington D.C. to New York. The crash, which happened on May 12, killed eight and left more than 200 injured. The incident is also reminiscent of another Amtrak train derailment that happened last month in Kansas when the train fell over, injuring 32 passengers.

It is unknown if “Positive Train Control,” a system that automatically stops or slows a speeding train, had been installed in this train.

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