Death toll rises to 6 in Philadelphia Amtrak crash

Tuesday's Amtrak crash in Philadelphia looks even worse Wednesday morning
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

On Wednesday morning, a passenger from Amtrak's train derailment in north Philadelphia died at Temple University Hospital, the hospital said, bringing the death toll from Tuesday night's crash to six. Six more passengers are critically injured and another 140 were treated at hospitals. All seven cars of New York-bound train 188 came off the track. Train service between Philadelphia and New York has been suspended indefinitely.

"It is an absolute disastrous mess," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. The engine and the other six cars are in "various stages of disarray," he said, adding that some were "completely overturned, on their side, ripped apart." Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration have sent investigators to the scene and will conduct investigations. The train was rounding a big curve when the incident occurred.

Paul Cheung, an Associated Press manager, was watching Netflix on the train when it stopped suddenly, "like someone had slammed the brake," he told AP. The front of the train "is really mangled," he added. "It's a complete wreck. The whole thing is like a pile of metal." Watch Cheung describe the accident below. —Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.