At least 7 people were killed when an Amtrak train derailed onto Interstate 5 in Washington, just south of Seattle, according to a U.S. official.

  • Multiple fatalities in train derailment
  • Train cars spilled onto Interstate 5
  • Line temporarily suspended
  • Mayor predicted new line would cause deadly accident

Ed Troyer, a spokesman with the Pierce County Sheriff’s office, said multiple people were killed aboard the train that was heading south, but no numbers were immediately available. However, in a press release, Amtrak only stated, "Initial reports are that some injuries are reported to passengers and crew, and taken to local medical facilities for treatment."

A U.S. official stated that there was something on the track, an obstruction, that may have caused the deadly train accident. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The mayor of Lakewood, Washington, a city along the route, predicted a deadly crash. But Don Anderson thought it’d involve a fast-moving train hitting a car or pedestrian at a crossing. 

The train derailed just before 8 a.m. PST, Monday. It was part of a new high-speed service that launched on Monday. According to Amtrak, there were about 78 passengers and five crew members on board the train before the accident, which saw some of the train cars spilled onto a busy interstate.

All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and motorists were being warned to avoid the area.

The train derailed just south of Tacoma, Washington.

The train was going 81.1 mph moments before the derailment, according to transitdocs.com, a website that maps Amtrak train locations and speeds using data from the railroad’s train tracker app.

The maximum speed along the stretch of track, known as Point Defiance Bypass, is 79 mph, according to information about the project posted online by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The state Department of Transportation posted information about the $180.7 million project online that says the maximum speed along that stretch of track is 79 mph.

In a statement, Amtrak stated that service south of Seattle has been temporarily been suspended and service from Seattle to points north and east are still operating.

"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. Some injuries are reported," Amtrak stated.

On the Washington State Department of Transportation's website, it mentions that two new daily round trips were added between Seattle and Portland. 

The new route was designed to speed up service by removing passenger trains from a route along Puget Sound that’s bogged down by curves, single-track tunnels and freight traffic.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.