Amtrak train derails near Tacoma; no major injuries

Police in western Washington State said an Amtrak train derailment southwest of Tacoma threatened to send several rail cars into the Puget Sound but resulted in only minor injuries.

The derailment took place Sunday afternoon in the Chambers Bay area near Steilacoom, Wash., The (Tacoma) News Tribune  reported.

Passengers were being evacuated and police from nearby Gig Harbor, Wash., said they were assisting with patrol boats. The Pierce County, Wash., Sheriff's Department said there were only minor injuries.

Lakewood, Wash., police said a patrol and marine service unit was on the scene assisting in evacuating passengers, several of whom tweeted photos of the wreckage — they featured rail cars tipped on their sides on a narrow stretch of land a few feet above water.

In a statement, Amtrak said Train 506 was traveling between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene-Springfield, Ore., with 267 passengers onboard, when it derailed at the Chambers Bay Bridge. Amtrak confirmed only minor injuries among the passengers, and said no crew members were injured. The cause of the derailment was under investigation.

Paul Zerfluh, whose son was on the train, said it braked with no warning and came "to a violent stop,” according to his son.

“All of a sudden the realization is they’ve got cars that have broken outside the line of the tracks, and they’re dangling on the rocks, close to the water,” he told the News Tribune.

The area is about 10 miles southwest of Tacoma. Train tracks in the area run alongside the Puget Sound.

Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo