US: Amtrak train derails in Washington, several passengers injured

Steilacoom (Washington): Several people suffered minor injuries after parts of an Amtrak passenger train derailed Sunday near a town in Washington state's Pierce County, authorities said.

The locomotive and the baggage car of the Amtrak Cascades train derailed around 2:30 pm near the town of Steilacoom, Amtrak and the Pierce County Sheriff's Office said. The train runs between Vancouver, Canada, and Eugene-Springfield, Oregon.

The train, which was carrying 267 passengers, derailed near the Chambers Bay golf course, which was the site of the 2015 US Open. All passengers were evacuated and provided with alternate transportation, the company said.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation, Amtrak said. The railroad tracks on which the locomotive derailed was reopened shortly before 6 pm for service at limited speeds, Amtrak said.

The Gig Harbor Police Department said one of its patrol boats was helping environment officials put in pollution-control booms to block fuel from the derailment from leaking into a nearby body of water. 

The department posted a photo Sunday afternoon on its Twitter account showing the work. Steilacoom is about 45 miles south of Seattle.