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CNN Live At Daybreak

Amtrak Train Derails, Six Killed

Aired April 19, 2002 - 05:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to another mystery now, why an Amtrak train derailed. The NTSB, the Red Cross and Amtrak officials are now helping the victims of a huge derailment. At least six people were killed, 153 others hurt. Most of the train's cars tumbled from the tracks.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is at the accident site in Putnam County, Florida.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A spectacular derailment involving an Amtrak auto train that makes regular runs between Orlando, Florida, specifically, Sanford, Florida and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. But this night something went dreadfully wrong when the train derailed without having any problem having been reported ahead of time.

Nearly all of the cars, 35 of 41 of them, flew off the tracks. Four hundred twenty-five passengers aboard as well as 28 crew members. At least some of the critically injured were airlifted to local hospitals. Others were taken to other hospitals in Central Florida and still more were taken to a local high school, where they were treated as well as given food and clothing by the American Red Cross and other workers.

Seventy-five people trapped in one of the cars were all successfully freed. Here's what some of the witnesses had to say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A 400 pound lady landed on me. I said would you please get up? She couldn't move either, could I?

CANDIOTTI: What were you thinking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who was thinking? You thought that's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just seen a lot of people in the grass and so me and my daughter, my husband was last getting there. We went beyond the yellow line and went down the track, helped the people come across the ditch aboard, mostly older people. There were some children and middle aged kids. One lady said three was dead at that time.

CANDIOTTI: The train car or compartment that you're looking at now is one of the ones that derailed. It carried some of the passenger vehicles that were being transported from Sanford, Florida to Washington, D.C. In front of it is one of the dining cars.

Now, before the accident happened, we are told the engineer did not report any trouble at all. The National Transportation Safety Board is assembling a go team. They will be arriving on scene here to investigate exactly what happened here. Clearly, the cleanup could take several days at the least.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Putnam County, Florida.

COSTELLO: And if you had a family member or friend aboard Amtrak train 52 and you need information, we have a toll-free number for you. That number is 1-800-523-9101. Again, 1-800-523-9101.

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