sc train crash
© LCSD_News / Twitter
At least two people have died and 70 more have been taken to hospital after a train carrying 147 people collided with a freight train in South Carolina.

The Amtrak train, which was operating between New York and Miami, had 139 passengers and eight crew members on board.

The incident took place at around 2:35am local time in Cayce, South Carolina. The railroad corporation said that the lead engine and some of the passenger cars of the train had come off the tracks.

Derek Pettaway was on the train at the time of the collision; he sustained minor cuts and bruises. He told RT.com that he had been asleep when he was awoken by the impact.
The location of the crash in Cayce, South Carolina
© Google mapsThe location of the crash in Cayce, South Carolina
"The crew in the cars were very responsive and extremely helpful in keeping the situation calm. First responders showed up within 10-20 minutes after impact," he said.

It's understood the injured have been taken to a number of hospitals. "The hospital I'm currently in is filled," Pettaway says.

In a media briefing shortly before 7am local time a spokesperson for South Carolina Emergency Management Division confirmed that two people had died and 70 people had been taken to various local hospitals with injuries.

"The injuries range in variety from small scratches and bumps to broken bones," the spokesman said.

He added that a hazardous materials team had been called in, to deal with a significant fuel spill from the crash but added that it doesn't represent a threat to the public.

All passengers were cleared from the train by 6:30am and passengers who weren't hospitalized were taken to a reception area set up at the nearby Pine Ridge Middle School.
sc train crash
© Derek PettawayThe aftermath of the crash as pictured by one of the passengers.
The area is being staffed by "disaster trained volunteers" from the local Red Cross.

The passenger train is part of Amtrak's 'Silver Service,' an overnight line that connects New York and Miami with numerous stops along the way. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

This is the second Amtrak incident within a week, after a train carrying Republican members of the House of Representatives to a policy retreat crashed in Virginia on Wednesday. One person died in that crash, while in December three people were killed and dozens more injured when another train derailed near DuPont, Washington.