AFP news agency reported that a US train derailed Saturday afternoon in northern Montana, killing at least three passengers and injuring dozens more, prompting rescuers to rush to safely remove everyone on board.

Amtrak stated it was deeply sorry to discover that local authorities are now reporting that 3 people have died as a consequence of this accident, adding that there were also "reported injuries."

According to Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams, the Empire Builder train derailed in Joplin, a community of roughly 200 people, at about 4 p.m. The disaster occurred around 150 miles (241 kilometers) north of Helena and 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the Canadian border.

People waited by the tracks, baggage thrown next to them, train carriages spotted leaning off the rails and at least one collapsed onto its side, as per footage shared on social media.

Multiple injuries and at least three fatalities were reported after a train derailed near Joplin, Montana, on Saturday evening. Five train cars were derailed with approximately 147 passengers and 13 crew members onboard. pic.twitter.com/UTft3F9m3K

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 26, 2021

Emergency workers from Amtrak had been rushed to the scene to assist local authorities with the evacuation.

Amanda Frickel, Montana's Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator, told the New York Times that more than 50 individuals have been hurt. She stated that rescue crews were on the site and that numerous hospitals and medical helicopters were on standby.

Amtrak announced Saturday that several trains between North Dakota and Montana will be canceled, as well as two Empire Builder train services on Sunday, with no replacement transportation available.

At least 3 dead and 50 injured in an Amtrak train derailment in Montana.

It happened on an Empire Builder line that connects Chicago to Seattle/Portland.https://t.co/wZmCczmivq

— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) September 26, 2021

The train system in the United States is chronically underfunded, and catastrophic accidents do occur on occasion. In 2018, two passengers were killed in South Carolina after an Amtrak train operating on the incorrect lines collided with a halted freight train, in a disaster that was ultimately blamed on safety flaws.

A year earlier, in Washington state, an Amtrak passenger train operating on a new route for the first time crashed, killing at least 3 people when cars fell from a bridge into a major highway during morning rush hour.