An Amtrak train with 243 passengers on board has derailed in the US state of Missouri after hitting a truck at a public crossing near the town of Mendon, killing three people.
"There are multiple injuries and we can confirm there were three fatalities - two on the train and one in the dump truck," Justin Dunn, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, told reporters at a press conference.
He said all injured and non-injured train occupants have been transported from the scene.
"Multiple law enforcement districts, ambulances, first responders, fire departments and medical helicopters responded to assist," added Mr Dunn.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Eric Brown said the crash happened at an "uncontrolled crossing" on a gravel road intersection that had no lights or electronic control devices.
CNN News, also citing an official, is reporting that at least 50 people have also been injured in the incident.
In a statement, Amtrak said its Southwest Chief Train 4, travelling eastbound from Los Angeles to Chicago, struck a truck around 12.42pm today (6.42pm Irish time).
It said the truck was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon in Missouri.
This resulted in the derailment of eight cars and two locomotives that had "approximately 243 passengers and 12 crew members onboard".
Amtrak added: "Our Incident Response Team has been activated, and we are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs."
