Fourth person dies following Amtrak derailment in Missouri

State highway patrol says person was third passenger to die

The death toll from the Amtrak derailment in Missouri has increased to four after a third passenger on the train was confirmed to have died.

The Missouri state highway patrol said on Tuesday that the individual died of injuries sustained in the derailment, which happened near Mendon and more than 80 miles from Kansas City.

About 150 people were taken from the scene of the derailment to 10 area hospitals, authorities and Amtrak said. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious. 

The latest victim, who has not named, died at University of Missouri Health Center, the patrol said.

The driver of a dump truck that was hit by the train also died, in addition to two other passengers whose deaths were confirmed on Monday.

Investigators from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have since arrived on the scene to gather evidence for their investigation into the derailment, which is the second since Sunday involving an Amtrak train.

About 275 passengers and 12 crew members were on the Southwest Chief service from Los Angeles to Chicago when the train collided with a dump truck at a highway-railroad crossing.

It remains unclear how the dump truck got onto the track, while local residents and farmers have told reporters that many are aware in Mendon of safety concerns involving the crossing – which is one of roughly 3,800 of its kind in the state.

As many as half of those do not have warning signals or alarms, which locals had previously called for. Reports suggest improvement work was due to take place at some unconfirmed date.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press