http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/us/am ... lphia.htmlAmtrak Train Derails in Philadelphia, Killing at Least 6 and Injuring Dozens
PHILADELPHIA — Emergency crews picked through the wreckage of a derailed Amtrak train Wednesday, looking for survivors and victims of a crash that killed at least six people and left dozens injured, as the National Transportation Safety Board and F.B.I. dispatched investigators to the scene.
The New York-bound train jumped the tracks at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, tossing around the 238 passengers and five crew members, as most of the train’s passenger cars tumbled onto their sides and crumpled. One car was particularly badly mangled, looking like nothing so much as a crushed and torn soda can.
On Wednesday, a giant crane moved into position and began attempting to lift the damaged cars. The wreck severed Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, one of the nation’s busiest rail routes, and the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s commuter train line from Philadelphia to Trenton, stranding thousands of passengers and threatening to snarl travel for days or weeks to come.
Not everyone on board had been accounted for, said Michael A. Nutter, the mayor of Philadelphia, and some people who congregated at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station said they had not been able to locate loved ones, raising the prospect of a rising toll as the search continued.
“We need to match up the manifest with all the individuals who walked off,” Mr. Nutter said.
“It is an absolute disastrous mess,” he said. “Never seen anything like this in my life.”
Temple University Hospital received 54 patients from the wreck, including one who died overnight from a massive chest injury, Herbert Cushing, the chief medical officer, said Wednesday morning. He said that most of the patients suffered fractures from being thrown around the train, and that 25 remained in the hospital, including eight people in critical condition.
“There were lots of people from all around the world” among the injured, he said, including patients from Albania, India and Spain.
As officials worked to notify passengers’ family members about their relatives, Mr. Nutter said most of them were not from the Philadelphia area, with more hailing from Washington, New York and New Jersey.
The Amtrak wreck occurred in the Port Richmond section of the city, northeast of the 30th Street Station. Amtrak service continued between Philadelphia and Washington on a modified schedule, but no trains were able to run between Philadelphia and New York.
The cause of the crash was not known. It occurred close to Frankford Avenue and Wheatsheaf Lane, near a bend in the track. Mr. Nutter said it was too early to tell whether it had played a role in the crash or if there were other factors.
“We have no idea what kind of speed there we’re talking about,” Mr. Nutter said, or “what else happened out there.”
He added, “And I’m not going to speculate on that.”
Well Mayor Nutter may not want to speculate, but I've heard a non-stop stream of pundits and politicos line up on the tube to claim with virtual certainty this happened as a direct result of budget cuts for Amtrak...
These bozos are blowing pure ass gas; they have absolutely no way whatsoever of knowing this. At this point, there is no more evidence of some sort of budget-cut caused maintenance or infrastructure failure then there is that there was a terrorist attack, but that hasn't stopped them from putting their gums in full flap mode...
