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One dead as Amtrak train derails in Mississippi

'City of New Orleans' was headed to Chicago


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An injured passenger arrives at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

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CNN's Katherine Dorsett reports on the Amtrak derailment in a Mississippi swamp.
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(CNN) -- An Amtrak passenger train derailed Tuesday night in a Mississippi swamp, leaving one person dead and 35 hurt -- at least three critically, authorities said.

The train -- northbound from New Orleans to Chicago -- went off the tracks in the Big Black River area between Bentonia and Flora -- about 40 miles northwest of Jackson, Mississippi -- at about 7 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), authorities said.

Jim Pollard, spokesman for American Medical Response, said that in addition to the one person killed, his ambulances and helicopters carried three critically injured people, 24 in stable condition and eight "walking wounded" to several hospitals.

While 12 crew members were on the train, the number of passengers on board is uncertain. The computer manifest listed 72 tickets sold, but the conductor's passenger list indicated only 46 people were on board when it wrecked.

The train -- named The City of New Orleans and designated #58 -- included one engine and nine cars, said Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel.

"Most of the cars are on their side," Stessel said.

It was not yet known what caused the derailment, but Stessel said at this point, there was no information to suggest foul play.

"There's no reason to believe it's anything more than a derailment," he said.

The train was scheduled to leave New Orleans Tuesday at 1:55 p.m. and arrive in Chicago Wednesday at 9 a.m., Stessel said.

The uninjured passengers were loaded on a school bus two hours after the accident and taken to a shelter set up in a school by the American Red Cross. It was not immediately clear how or when they would resume their trip to Chicago.

Amtrak established a toll-free emergency number for family and friends of passengers to call for information. The number is 1-800-523-9101.


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