FIFTEEN people have been rushed to the hospital after an Amtrak passenger train derailed in California on Wednesday.
The train slammed into a truck on the tracks at around 11.15am in Moorpark, about 50 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles.
The train was carrying 211 passengers and crew members on a trip from Los Angeles to Seattle when it crashed into a water truck, Kelly Just, a public relations specialist for Amtrak, told The U.S. Sun.
Of those hospitalized, 14 suffered minor injuries, the Ventura County Fire Department tweeted.
The driver of the truck, which was owned by Ventura County Public Works Agency according to KTLA, has been taken to a trauma center.
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Three train cars derailed because of the impact and haunting images showed them leaning to the side.
"There appears to be damage to the tracks," photographer Michael Coons, who was at the scene of the wreck, said in a tweet.
"(They) will be shut down for a while."
After the crash, a mangled piece of the yellow truck laid near the wreckage.
In aerial footage, dozens of passengers, first responders, and other workers could be seen congregated on a dirt road near the tracks.
Some passengers are being brought to a reunification center in Moorpark, the fire department reported.
Family members of those on the train can call the department's hotline at (805) 465-6650 for more information.
The crash happened ahead of the busy Fourth of July travel weekend.
"Amtrak is working with customers to make alternate travel arrangements," Just said.
She added that the agency will conduct an investigation in conjunction with local authorities.
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