Rescue personnel and equipment are seen Dec. 19 after Amtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 in Dupont, Wash. At least three people were killed and dozens injured after the train derailed Dec. 18 while traveling on the first day of a new route outside Tacoma, careening off a bridge and onto a highway below. (CNS photo/Steve Dipaola, Reuters)

Catholic leaders offer prayers for all affected by derailment

1153 0

DUPONT, Wash. (CNS) — Catholic leaders in the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, offered prayers for all affected by the Dec. 18 derailment of an Amtrak train that had just come from the Tacoma station and was headed to Portland.

“Our community of faith is praying for the victims and families of the train derailment as well as the first responders and emergency personnel on the scene,” said Greg Magnoni, spokesperson for the Seattle Archdiocese.

At about 7:40 a.m. local time, Amtrak Cascades Train 501, with 78 passengers and five crew members aboard, derailed off of an overpass in DuPont. A number of the train cars fell onto Interstate 5 below, crashing onto vehicles on the highway.

At least three people died. More than 70 people were taken to local hospitals. Ten were reported to have serious injuries.

“My prayers are offered for all the victims of the terrible train derailment south of Seattle. These things are always a tragedy, but this one hits very close to home,” Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample said in a tweet.

The night of the tragic accident the National Transportation Safety Board announced that the Amtrak train was going 80 mph in a 30-mph zone for that portion of the track. It derailed along a curve and a total of 13 train cars jumped the tracks. The derailed cars were removed the morning of Dec. 19, news reports said.

One of the dead was identified as Zack Willhoite, who was an employee of Pierce Transit. The transit authority provides public transportation in Pierce County, which includes Tacoma and DuPont. The other two people who died had not yet been identified as of mid-day Dec. 19. Another of those who died was identified as Jim Hamre, a retired civil engineer with Washington state’s Transportation Department.

NTSB officials continued to investigate the cause of the accident, which took place on the first day of a new route for Amtrak. News reports said the tracks had been upgraded to allow higher-speed trains, but the curve where the train derailed was a 30-mph zone.

AP reported that investigators would be interviewing the engineer and other members of the crew, as well as review devices from the lead locomotive and rear engine that record data on every train trip. The derailed train also had two cameras on board, which were damaged but officials still hoped to get images to study.

Related Post

Auxiliary Bishop Peter L. Smith of Portland, Ore., speaks with students at St. Rose School in Portland March 19. He was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and went through a 13-year process to become a U.S. citizen. (CNS photo/Ed Langlois, Catholic Sentinel)

Bishop who is immigrant praises newcomers to U.S. for ‘courageous spirit’

Posted by - July 9, 2017 0
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) — It’s easy to forget that one of Oregon’s Catholic bishops is an immigrant. Portland Auxiliary Bishop…
Capuchin Franciscan Brother Andrew Corriente prepares a buttercream icing in the kitchen at his friary in Washington Jan. 9, 2020. The 31-year-old third-year seminarian was the winner of the fifth season of ABC's "The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition," where he was recognized as one of the nation's best amateur bakers. (CNS photo/Andrew Biraj, Catholic Standard)

Love of baking, culinary skills and prayer make religious brother a winner

Posted by - January 18, 2020 0
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The oven timer dings, alerting Capuchin Franciscan Brother Andrew Corriente the chocolate layer cake he is baking…
Orthodox Metropolitan Gennadios of Italy and Malta, Pope Francis and Rev. Tim Macquiban, minister of Rome's Ponte Sant'Angelo Methodist Church, leave an ecumenical prayer service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome Jan. 18. The service marked the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope offers practical tips for keeping track of one’s love of neighbor

Posted by - January 20, 2019 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis offered a checklist for Catholics to keep track of how they measure up to…
Lucy, Gemma and Felicity Spencer place ornaments on their family's Jesse Tree. Their parents, Susanna and Mark, put the tree on a small prayer table that they use throughout the year to follow the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. (CNS photo/Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit)

Living by church’s calendar at home draws families closer to saints, Mass

Posted by - December 3, 2017 0
ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — Growing up in St. Louis, Susanna Spencer loved her family’s Advent tradition of adorning a…