Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Derailed Amtrak train 'was speeding'

by Biodun Iginla, Reuters contributor and Desk Editor at BBC News, New York

3 minutes ago


A commuter train that derailed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people, was travelling at twice the speed limit, say safety experts.
The train was moving at 100mph (160km/h) in an area with a limit of 50mph (80km/h), according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The speed was recorded in the so-called black box recovered from the wreckage.
The derailment left more 200 people injured and the search for victims and survivors goes on.
The train's engineer and conductor were both injured in the crash.
The engineer, who has not been identified, has declined to give a statement to police, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper.
Part of the US's most travelled stretch of passenger rail between Philadelphia and New York is closed as officials continue to try to establish exactly what happened.
President Obama said he was "shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the derailment".
Amtrak is a national publicly funded rail service, serving tens of millions of people every year.

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