DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — The Latest on an Amtrak train derailment in Washington state (all times local):
10:40 a.m.
A U.S. official says a train derailment outside of Seattle has killed at least six people and the death count is expected to rise.
The official who was briefed on the investigation also says preliminary signs indicate the Amtrak train may have struck something on the track before going off the track.
The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The high-speed train was making its first run on newly constructed tracks when it derailed before 8 a.m. Monday.
The official said because the tracks were new it was unlikely to be a maintenance issue.
— By Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles
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10:10 a.m.
An Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle and killed multiple people was making its first run as part of a higher speed service that local authorities had warned could be dangerous.
Transitdocs.com, a website that maps Amtrak train locations and speeds using data from the railroad's train tracker app, says Train 501 was going 81.1 mph moments before the derailment Monday.
The state Department of Transportation posted information about the $180.7 million project online that says the maximum speed along that stretch of track is 79 mph.
The new route was designed to speed up service by removing passenger trains from a route along Puget Sound that's bogged down by curves, single-track tunnels and freight traffic.
The mayor of Lakewood, Washington, a city along the route, predicted a deadly crash. But Don Anderson thought it'd involve a fast-moving train hitting a car or pedestrian at a crossing.
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9:35 a.m.
Authorities say multiple people were killed when an Amtrak passenger train derailed onto Interstate 5 south of Seattle.
Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says none of the fatalities were motorists who were in cars and trucks when the train came off the tracks on to I-5.
He says emergency responders are working to get survivors out and to area hospitals.
Authorities say the train derailed before 8 a.m. Monday, but no specifics were immediately available.
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9:16 a.m.
Authorities say several vehicles on Interstate 5 were struck by the falling train cars when an Amtrak train derailed south of Seattle, and "multiple motorists" were injured on the roadway.
No fatalities of motorists were reported.
All southbound lanes of I-5 were closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and motorists were being warned to avoid the area.
The Pierce County Sheriff's office says "injuries and casualties" were reported when the train derailed before 8 a.m. Monday, but no specifics were immediately available.
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9:01 a.m.
Chris Karnes was on the train Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle, three or four cars back from the front.
Karnes told The Associated Press in a brief phone interview Monday morning that he was "not sure what got hit."
He was unhurt and is now near the medical tents set up in a median area between north- and sound-bound Interstate 5, just south of DuPont, Washington.
Karnes said: "there are several cars that are hanging over the overpass," Karnes.
The train derailed before 8 a.m. Monday. Authorities reported "injuries and casualties" but did not immediately have more information.
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8:37 a.m.
An Amtrak train derailed south of Seattle, and authorities say "injuries and casualties" were reported.
The train derailed about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Seattle before 8 a.m. Monday, spilling at least one train car on to busy Interstate 5.
The Pierce County Sheriff's office says in a tweet that the train was heading south bound and that there were "injuries and casualties," but no numbers were immediately available.
All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and motorists were being warned to avoid the area.
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8:29 a.m.
An Amtrak train has derailed roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Seattle, spilling cars onto a busy interstate.
The train derailed just before 8 a.m.
No other information was immediately available.
The train derailed just south of Tacoma, Washington.
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Associated Press writers Sally Ho and Phuong Le in Seattle and Michael Sisak in Philadelphia contributed to this report.