Dozens injured as US train derails

Extreme heat could have caused the accident

An express train has come off the rails near Washington, injuring dozens of people, six of them critically.

We had to climb out onto the top, which was the side of the train, and onto a ladder

Passenger Paula

Eleven of the 13 double-decker carriages on the Amtrak train carrying about 200 people were thrown on their sides said preliminary reports.

At least 60 people were taken to hospital according to Montgomery County fire service. Six had suffered what were called "traumatic injuries".

Investigators will probably look at whether heat was a cause of the accident which happened after the train passed a bend.

Temperatures were about 90F (37 Celsius) - leading to theories that the track may have buckled.

At least 85 emergency personnel helped victims

The train, the Capitol Limited en route from Chicago to Washington, derailed at about 1355 local time (1755 GMT) in the Washington suburb of Kensington - about 10 miles from the train's destination.

A woman, identified only as Paula, was on the train with her 13-year-old daughter.

"The way our car fell, we were on the bottom," she told Baltimore TV station WJZ.

"So, we had to climb out onto the top, which was the side of the train, and onto a ladder."

Jim Hendrick, who works at a local store, said several passengers had emerged unassisted from the train, some even carrying their own luggage.

"Everyone seemed kind of dazed, but it was pretty orderly," he said.

However, many passengers had to wait for help from fire crews to leave the wreckage.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to the site.

Former NTSB Managing Director Peter Goelz said investigators will likely look at whether heat was a cause.

"You always have to look at it during the summer, he said.

"This is a heavily used line by both freight and passengers. When the track gets up over 100 degrees F (38 Celsius), you have things called heat kinks (buckles).

"You have to watch your track very carefully."

In 1996, the Capitol Limited and a Maryland commuter train collided in nearby Silver Spring, killing all three crew members and eight passengers on the commuter train.