A southbound Amtrak train derailed Monday morning in central Vermont after apparently striking a rock slide, officials said.
The accident occurred in the town of Northfield, about 10 miles south of Montpelier, the state capital.
A spokesperson for the Montpelier Fire Department said they had reports of four people injured so far when five cars derailed, two of which tumbled over a bank. There have been no reported deaths, the spokesperson, Lt. Dana Huoppi, said. A federal official told NBC News that none of the injuries so far appeared life-threatening.
A passenger who was with his wife on a sightseeing trip said the ride was smooth until “we felt something hitting the train, which wasn’t normal, and then all hell broke loose.”
The engineer hit the brakes quickly, “but it was too late,” Rodger Bell said.
The Bells, from Windsor, Colorado, were “tossed around a bit” but weren’t hurt, the husband said.
He recalled seeing a set of wheels roll past his window just before his far jumped the tracks and ended up on a small embankment.
Ahead of him, the engine tumbled down a creek bed, he said.
An Amtrak train derailed Monday morning in central Vermont, state police told NBC News. BrianABell1980 via Twitter
The train was traveling from Saint Albans, Vermont to Washington, D.C. when it derailed after reportedly striking a rock slide on the tracks, Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz said.
The two cars that fell down the bank were the engine and one that held only a conductor, who was injured but not severely, Gina Conn, a reporter for the Times Argus newspaper, told MSNBC.
“It was very fortunate that the injuries were at a minimum,” Bell added.
The train was the “Vermonter,” the daily service that runs between St. Albans, Vermont and Washington, D.C. It is the only Amtrak service that runs on the track. Regular freight service also runs on the track.
The train is popular at this time of year with tourists looking to soak in the annual fall foliage throughout Vermont and New England. It travels 600 miles from northwestern Vermont to the nation’s capital. In 2014, the Vermonter served 88,000 passengers—about 241 per day.
We are aware of the derailment of train 55 in VT. Emergency personnel are on the scene & we are assessing the situation. Updates to follow.
— Amtrak (@Amtrak) October 5, 2015
Bell said that after he and his wife got out of their car, they walked down the tracks and gathered with other passengers in a nearby yard, awaiting information on the next step. He said rescue workers “are doing a wondering job, checking on everybody, making sure they are accounted for.”
State police officers and Federal Railroad Administration investigators were on their way to the scene.