2nd LD: 6 killed, 22 people hospitalized in AMTRAK train derailment in U.S. Washington state

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed by the derailment of an AMTRAK train near Tacoma in the U.S. Washington state Monday morning, local authorities said.

And at least 22 people were taken to three hospitals for treatment of injuries caused by the incident, according to a non-profit network of hospitals and clinics.

"Victims from the Amtrak train that derailed in DuPont are at three of our hospitals," MultiCare Health, a non-profit network of hospitals and clinics announced in a tweet.

It said the injured people were receiving treatment at Good Samaritan Hospital, Allenmore Hospital ad Tacoma General Hospital in the Pierce County, Washington State on the U.S. west coast.

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, or Amtrack, said in a statement that there were 78 passengers and five crew members on board the train.

"Amtrak is aware of an incident with Train 501, Cascades service from Seattle to Portland. Emergency services are on the scene and Amtrak management is responding," it said in an earlier tweet.

It added that Amtrak service south of Seattle is temporarily suspended, but service from Seattle to points north and east is continuing to operate.

A footage of a local TV showed that at least one rail car fell off a bridge over a traffic-clogged highway.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said several cars on I5 were struck by derailed Amtrak train cars and that multiple motorists injured on roadway.

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Union Station in Washington, D.C., Amtrak is a passenger railroad service that provides medium- and long-distance intercity service in the contiguous United States.

Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces with more than 300 trains running over 21,300 miles (34,000 km) of track every day.

In fiscal year 2016, the company, which employs more than 20,000 people, served 31.3 million passengers and earned about 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.

Nearly two-thirds of its passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas. Enditem