Three dead, multiple injuries in US train derailment

Three people died Monday when a long-distance train collided with a dump truck in the US state of Missouri, leaving multiple injuries among its more than 200 passengers, local officials said.

Seven of the Amtrak train's approximately eight cars derailed on a route from Los Angeles to Chicago when the train struck the truck at a rail crossing near Mendon, Missouri.

"The investigation is in its preliminary stages and as more information becomes available, we will be releasing it at that time," Justin Dunn, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, told reporters at a press conference.

The train was carrying more than 200 passengers and around a dozen crew when it crossed the intersection on a gravel road, which officials said had neither lights nor electronic control devices marking the tracks.

"There are multiple injuries and we can confirm there were three fatalities -- two on the train and one in the dump truck," Dunn said.

Images shared on social media showed railcars on their side in a corn field, with passengers climbing out the windows and doors.

AFP was not able to immediately confirm the authenticity of the images.

The derailment comes one day after another Amtrak-operated train collided with a passenger vehicle at a railroad crossing in California, resulting in three deaths.

The crossing involved did not have guards, and a local fire official said it was not uncommon to have accidents there, the local NBC affiliate reported.