Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Amtrak Black Box Recovered, Being Analyzed; Interview with Senator Richard Blumenthal; Interview with Mayor Michael Nutter. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 13, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[10:29:50] ROBERT SUMWALT, NTSB: We will be looking at those. We have a forward facing video camera that's in the head end of the locomotive, the front end of the train. So we will be looking at that.

We will be -- the event recorders themselves can give you information about the speed of the train, any brake application, any throttle applications that the engineer could have made. Horn, bell, it can give us a lot. That will be key to this investigation is a good download of those data which is being conducted and will be done this afternoon, I think. So we hope to be able to provide you with information as we get it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two last questions. Yes?

(inaudible)

MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER (D), PHILADELPHIA: I have no information about that. All we have, again unfortunately, is six confirmed deceased. We're still trying to get information about those individuals. Again, this is a horrific scene. I just need your patience and understanding that we're trying to get through that.

Last question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you just sir -- can you paint a picture of the scene? You're viewing an investigation but there's also a rescue looking for potential victims, fatalities. Could you just paint the scene what's going on out there?

SUMWALT: Yes, the question is can we paint a picture of what's going on out there. Of course it's a devastating scene. There are many first responders out there that are working. They are carefully examining the equipment to see if there is anyone else in the rail cars.

So the search and recovery effort will actually take precedence over our accident investigation and we expect to get in there very soon. We've already started doing things like retrieving the recorders and getting training records for the crews and things like that. Just because we haven't gotten a real up close and personal view of the actual -- we've gone out and examined. We've done a good look over of the scene. But we have not started to very carefully document the wreckage at this point. But we will. NUTTER: Last question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are other sensors beyond the box recovered. Have you recovered any factual information about --

SUMWALT: The question is do we have any other factual information from any other recorders at this point about what the train was doing. And the short answer to that is no, we do not. We basically -- and I want people to try and understand. We just got here. You have a lot of questions. We have a lot of questions. We intend to answer many of those questions in the next 24 to 48 hours. Thank you.

NUTTER: All right. Thank you all. We'll let you know about any other updates or briefings --

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Alright.

NUTTER: -- possibility of that. We could provide an update later on this afternoon. No guarantee of that. But we will keep you as informed as we can, based on factual information and not speculation.

COSTELLO: All right. Let's step away from this news conference. The mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter talking to the crowd of reporters surrounding the various emergency aid workers and NTSB investigators.

A couple of interesting nuggets coming out of that news conference -- you heard the mayor said the black box from the train has been recovered. It's already been sent to Delaware to a lab there to be analyzed. No information taken off it yet that can be shared publicly at least.

Also the NTSB says if you would like to follow its investigation, you can follow it on Twitter @NTSB. So keep that in mind. Some passengers are still missing. Their family members are looking for them. There is a number that you can call and that would be Amtrak, 1-800-523-9101. If you are missing a family member you are asked to call this number, 1-800-523-9101.

Also we learned that 200 people were treated at various Philadelphia hospitals. That's a lot of people. In fact we have video right now of some of those injured patients who have been released to the hospital. They got onboard another train.

You can see them arriving at New York's Penn station right now. They are walking. I'm sure they are still shaking. I can't imagine how they're feeling. But they're home safe and sound today and that's the best thing ever for them and for their families.

Let's head back to Philadelphia right now and check in with Sara Sidner. She's been covering this accident for us. You've been talking -- and Rene Marsh will join us as well.

But I want to start with you, Sara. You have been talking to people in the surrounding area. What are they telling you?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They talk about the light that came from the initial crash. They didn't hear it as much as that light sort of was very visible to them. There were several blasts of light that came off of this.

I'm going to move out of the way of this camera and let you get a glimpse of what is going on right now. They are really trying to put one of the trains on the track. There is a crane there that was very close to it and tried to do that it seems. Also there is a tractor that has showed up on the scene as well.

[10:35:01] And you see the investigators sort of -- some of them are on top, some of them are on the bottom. They've been checking out these tracks. I think they were checking them out also just to make sure that that particular train that has the crane on it could actually go on part of the track because right after that curve where it is sitting you will see the train itself.

But interesting to note that it seems that it is still not all of the passengers are accounted for. It sounds like they are still trying to match passengers with family members, imploring them to call the 800 number that Amtrak has given out for family members and saying to passengers if you have not gotten in touch with your family, call us. We'll try to link you up. It seems there are still passengers and family members that have not been able to connect, which must be really, really, really hard for the both of them worrying about one another.

We also heard that there was a forward facing camera on the train and that they should be able to get that data. That will tell investigators a whole heck of a lot. The NTSB oftentimes when they come out they start taking pictures and they start immediately tweeting them. We saw that with the AirAseana crash in San Francisco. I was there for that. You saw all of those pictures being downloaded very, very quickly. So you may start seeing some pictures from the NTSB as well as they go about investigating exactly what happened.

The important thing that the black box has been recovered; they'll be able to look at the electronic data trying to find out for example the speed of the train -- that will potentially be a factor. But they are looking at all different manner of things whether there was a problem on the track perhaps. They've been really studying that curve and looking at that curve.

We know that several decades ago there was a terrible crash here where more than 70 people died. That curve was the reason for that. So we'll have to wait and see and they don't want to speculate as to what may have caused the crash. But they're saying more than 200 people have been treated from this particular crash. That's 200 of 243 that were on that train.

We do know people did walk away but people had broken bones. They had scratches. And six people didn't make it -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. And, you know, emergency officials for Philadelphia are urging people who were onboard that train to call Amtrak to just tell Amtrak that I'm alive and well and I'm ok because Amtrak doesn't have word of all the passengers onboard that train just yet.

I was also surprised to learn that 200 people were treated at area hospitals and I'm also kind of really shocked to learn that the Jacobs family is still looking for their loved one. She got onboard that train. And as you know, sometimes you can board a train and you can buy your ticket onboard and there's no record that you were on that train. But one of Rachel Jacobs' friends I talked with said she texted her husband that she was indeed there but no word yet -- Sara.

SIDNER: You know, one of the problems, Carol, is that when this happened, you know, if you're holding your cell phone and you're not strapped in, you're not wearing a seat belt or anything like that and something tips over or falls, you have no control. Cell phones, passengers were saying were flying. Some people probably don't have any way to communicate at this point in time. And if they're critically injured, of course, if they don't have ID on them, then that makes things even more difficult.

So I think what you're going to start seeing over the next few hours is people doing what they need to and what they can using other people's phones trying to get in touch with family members. But some of it was simply because they didn't have anything to communicate with their family and hopefully over time they'll be able to make those connections.

But you can imagine how absolutely difficult, how absolutely heart wrenching this has been for the families who have not heard from their loved ones yet knowing that six people have died; knowing that there are several people who are still in critical condition and that there were dozens of people who were treated in this crash -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. And if you do have word of Rachel Jacobs, you can call the Amtrak number, 1-800-523-9101. The Jacobs family would certainly appreciate it.

Thank you, Sara. I'll get back to you.

On the phone with me right now, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal. You've been working on rail safety legislation -- welcome, sir.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT (via telephone): Good morning. Good to be with you.

COSTELLO: I would suspect that this accident comes as no surprise.

BLUMENTHAL: Clearly our hearts and prayers go out to the families but for too long we've relied on patching and praying when it comes to our railroads. We need the kind of investment that matches the importance of this vital economic link. It's essential to jobs and economic growth throughout the northeast and this line is the busiest in the country. And neglected for too long, have been recommendations from NTSB

for better safety and reliability and now we need the kind of investment and prompt investigation that will give us answers.

[10:40:04] COSTELLO: As you know, sir, the House Appropriation Committee is meeting as we speak and on the agenda -- of course this was scheduled before this accident happened -- and on their agenda are massive cuts to the Amtrak system.

BLUMENTHAL: Absolutely shocking and disgraceful that right now even as this tragedy is unfolding, even as we're learning answers to vital question about the causes of this terrible tragic crash, the House of Representatives is considering cuts to the rail.

On the contrary we should be investing, redoubling our commitment to the quality and reliability of tracks and equipment, cameras facing inward and other kinds of safety and reliability equipment like automatic train control that would have slowed down the train if excessive speed was responsible. And this kind of commitment is no longer a luxury or convenience, it is a necessity.

COSTELLO: Some lawmakers have suggested that Amtrak should be privatized and shouldn't be subsidized by the government any longer. Is this the time to explore that seriously?

BLUMENTHAL: Amtrak is a public investment. And it is in the public interest. Abandoning that public responsibility in my view would be reprehensible and irresponsible. We ought to redouble our commitment to renew and reinvigorate the quality, safety and reliability of our rail system because our economy -- jobs and economic growth depend on it.

COSTELLO: So why isn't money more forthcoming?

BLUMENTHAL: Creating a public/private partnership, a national infrastructure bank has been proposed by both Republicans and Democrats. I'm one of them who led the effort. It's bipartisan and creating a public financing authority using the government's authority to borrow at low interest rates and at the same time tapping into private investment. That kind of partnership is the way to fund massively and responsibly this public challenge.

But at the same time, we need a prompt investigation. NTSB in the past has taken months, sometimes years to complete its investigations. We need answers right away.

COSTELLO: All right. Senator Richard Blumenthal -- thank you so much for being with me this morning. I appreciate it.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:46:36] COSTELLO: Alright. I want to take you back live to Philadelphia because Chris Cuomo has managed to get Mayor Michael Nutter, the mayor of Philadelphia, to talk more about this train derailment. Chris Cuomo -- you got him?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am. Mayor Nutter just took a phone call from the President who is calling in to check in on the situation. Obviously that takes precedence when it is the President. He's going to come and talk to us.

He just finished the press conference where he revealed information that the investigation is in its very early stages. They do have the black box. The NTSB said that that data is being analyzed. There are no conclusions that can be drawn in or out at this point.

The mayor also related that all of the people onboard matching the manifest from Amtrak with the people have been accounted for through hospitals and otherwise is not complete. That doesn't necessarily mean that people have met a tragic end but that it is tedious work and it's ongoing.

They also relayed that the conductor of the train, Carol, was injured, treated but able to discuss the situation with investigators. That will be critical to have black box and the conductor giving information about what happened and why along with the video that we had earlier on will be the main pieces that investigators are going to build off of.

Now, if you want, I will give you a chance to report out on different levels as we wait for the mayor to finish his phone conversation.

COSTELLO: All right. So Mayor Nutter is on the phone with President Obama. Chris Cuomo -- many thanks to you.

I want to actually take our viewers now to Capitol Hill where the House Appropriations Committee is meeting on a transportation measure that could actually lead to millions of dollars in funding cuts for Amtrak. You got to wonder if that will change now.

Athena Jones, I know you have been monitoring this hearing. What are they saying?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Well, the hearing is really just under way and you already have the division that we have seen in the past. Amtrak's funding has been a perennial issue. The chairman of the House Appropriations committee, Hal Rogers, a Republican started out the hearing offering condolences to the victims and saying it will take a while before we know what happened.

But we also already heard from a Democrat on the committee saying that the funding for Amtrak is woefully inadequate. This has been the kind of divide we've seen perennially here in Congress. You have members along the northeast corridor, often Democrats, who want to see more investments in Amtrak. And then you have Republicans often from states that don't really have a lot of rail lines who want to see a lot less funding and maybe even privatization as you've been discussing. Now, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest talked about the

funding this morning on "NEW DAY". Let's play that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, again, we're going to find out exactly what happened as it relates to this specific crash. But there is clearly more that can be done when we talk about a railway infrastructure that is decades old. And so if there are better investments that we can make in terms of upgrading this infrastructure and make it more safe, I'm confident that will be on the minds of not just investigators but also the leadership of the Transportation Department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And so, of course, Josh Earnest said we don't yet know what caused this crash if it was an infrastructure problem but the fact that this bill being debated right now would make $200 million in cuts to capital improvements to help protect safety on Amtrak is going to be a big issue today -- Carol.

[10:50:02] COSTELLO: All right -- Athena Jones, thanks so much.

I want to take you back to Philadelphia. Mayor Nutter is off the phone with President Obama. Chris Cuomo is standing by.

Take it away.

CUOMO: All right. Mr. Mayor, there are obvious implications that go not only from the city level but the state and federal level. What was the word from the President?

NUTTER: President called to express his concern. He is on top of this situation, offered every possible support at the federal level in terms of resources or assets. I gave him the update that NTSB is on the scene. Amtrak, the board chairman is here.

We have a fully coordinated operation out of our Emergency Management Center. The Fire Department is in charge of the scene. Every agency that could possibly provide support and assistance is right here on the ground and the rescue and search -- search and rescue operation is continuing.

Cars are torn in half. They are turned over. They're on their side. Our rescue folks are still working through all of the cars and the debris out there. We need to try as best as possible to account for everyone we think may have been on the train. Sometimes people buy tickets and don't make the train. And we just don't know.

But we transported a bunch of folks last night. Unfortunately we have six confirmed deceased which is doubly painful, of course, and our hearts and prayers go out to them. We're very, very sorry about what's happened here. But the level of coordination is superior and we'll get the job done. CUOMO: I know that you have your concerns about the people who

still may be unaccounted for and finding out why this happened because you lost lives from your city but do you want a national eye kept on this situation because of these larger issues that are being raised about why this happened, why so many of Amtrak trains being derailed, what that means about infrastructure in these larger issues that we're hearing about. Is that relevant to you?

NUTTER: You know, from what I do in my day-to-day job, o course, all of these issues are pertinent and relevant but for today our absolute 100 percent focus is on the operation at hand making sure that our fire and police, NTSB, and Amtrak personnel have all of the resources they need to deal with the tragedy at hand.

There will be a day and a time for those debates and politics that go with it. My focus is on people and trying to get comfort and reassurance to these families who may have had a family member on that train. We need to get details of what happened to them. NTSB and others will analyze the black box and data sensors and all that to try to figure out what happened. Our job today is to focus on people and take care of these families.

CUOMO: We've been putting out the 1-800 number so that families can reach out. And we know that you want those who may have been on the train and haven't checked in to do so, so that you get a better head count of what's going on here and people who have followed you know that you tackle big situations very well.

Last night and this morning you seemed shaken by this situation. What was it like for you to come on and see it and experience it on that level?

NUTTER: I've been to the scene a couple times now. Last night when I arrived on the scene it was fairly dark. We went back. We had a lot more light brought in. But, you know, seeing it in the full light of day is just heartbreaking. It's devastating.

But we have work to do. We're focused. We're committed. We're dedicated to this work. It is painful knowing that people died that we've accounted for and still trying to figure out where others may be.

So we're clear eyed. Eyes wide open. We know what the task is at hand. There's a human side to this -- any number of folks including myself taking that train coming out of Washington, D.C., coming back to Philadelphia or maybe even going to New York City. So for all that we do and we're public servants, we're committed and we've seen things. We're still human beings and it hurts.

CUOMO: Amazing to see it and know yes, we lost lives but so many also walked away which is amazing looking at the wreckage.

NUTTER: That's incredible in and of itself; I mean if you ever see the pictures of what's really going on down there, it's amazing that so many people survived. I saw people last night literally walking off of that train and I don't know how they did it but obviously very happy that they did. We still have work to do.

CUOMO: We know you have important work to do. Thank you for joining us, Mayor. Good luck with everything. Let us know how to help.

NUTTER: Thank you.

CUOMO: Carol, as you heard, there are a lot of different levels of coordination are necessary here. There are a lot of moving parts to this. People are intrigued by why and there's a hunger to know that because you want to know whether or not if this could have been avoided.

But as the mayor rightly points out there are six families and their loved ones who've lost something that could never be replaced, that no answers will satisfy. And there are a lot of people still unaccounted for. So the human priorities are coming first.

[10:55:07] COSTELLO: Absolutely. Chris Cuomo, many thanks.

And our thanks to Mayor Nutter as well for taking the time out of a busy day and a tragic day to talk with us.

If you want to know and follow the NTSB investigation, by the way, you can follow their Twitter feed @NTSB or of course keep it right here on CNN.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Alright. The NTSB and its investigators, of course, remain on the scene of this terrible Amtrak train derailment. We know that six people are confirmed dead. We just got word from the navy that a midshipman from the naval academy from Annapolis, Maryland was onboard that train. He was on leave, he was headed home to his family. They are not releasing his name just yet. They say his body is at the medical examiner's office right now.

We learned from the Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, that some people are unaccounted for. We know from the Jacobs family that Rachel Jacobs remains unaccounted for. This is her picture. If you know anything about her, if you saw her on that train, if you were onboard that train and saw Rachel, please call Amtrak at 1-800-523- 9101; that's 1-800-523-9101.

A few other tidbits to pass along before I go. They have recovered the black box out of that train. It's now at a lab in Delaware and they're efforting getting information off of that black box.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"AT THIS HOUR" with Berman and Bolduan starts now.