No one was injured Monday when an Amtrak train derailed after hitting a downed tree in Franklin County, authorities said.
The derailment happened just before 5 p.m. Monday east of Washington, Missouri. The train carried 124 passengers and five crew members, said Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak.
Magliari said the train's rear axle went off the tracks after hitting the fallen tree.
Passengers were taken away by bus. The train, Amtrak 319, runs from Chicago to Kansas City. The route is maintained and controlled by Union Pacific.
Abe Cook, director of Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, said the tracks run between the Missouri River and a bluff and were difficult to reach, so fire crews and volunteers used ATVs to get to the train to verify that everyone was safe.