Passenger Amtrak train derails after hitting truck in California

An Amtrak bid carrying astir 200 radical derailed successful confederate California connected Wednesday aft colliding with a region h2o truck.

The motortruck operator was taken to a trauma centre with a caput wounded and 14 different radical were taken to infirmary with insignificant injuries.

Officials said the mishap could person been worse had the bid cars fallen implicit erstwhile they came disconnected the tracks.

Those injured are expected to recover.

All the passengers and 13 unit members were evacuated from the bid aft 3 of its 7 cars veered disconnected the tracks, said Ventura County Fire Department Captain Brian McGrath.

The Amtrak Coast Star Light bid was travelling from Los Angeles to Seattle, according to the Ventura County Fire Department, erstwhile it derailed successful Moorpark, which is astir 50m (80km) northwest of Los Angeles.

Fire crews were capable to rapidly douse a tiny occurrence nether the train.

According to Amtrak, the h2o motortruck was "obstructing the tracks" erstwhile the bid struck it astatine astir 11:15 section clip (18:15 GMT).

"The bid derailed arsenic a effect of the interaction but remained upright," it said, adding it is conduction a afloat probe into the incident.

"We're precise fortunate contiguous that the trains stayed connected the wheels," said Andy Vansciver of Ventura County Fire. "Obviously, it was derailed but it stayed vertical. I deliberation that truly constricted the magnitude of injuries we had."

The clang happened successful an country surrounded by farms and the truck, which was destroyed, was believed to beryllium connected its mode to a ranch.