At Least Six Dead After Amtrak Train Derails in Philadelphia

At least six people are dead after an Amtrak train traveling from Washington, D.C. to New York derailed shortly after departure Tuesday evening, causing seven cars to veer off the tracks, with one car becoming completing mangled in the accident.

Authorities said Wednesday that they are still investigating why Amtrak Train 188, traveling the Northeast Regional Corridor, derailed shortly after leaving its Washington, D.C. station near the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"It is an absolute disastrous mess," Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said. "I've never seen anything like this in my life."

"We do not know what happened here. We do not know why it happened," Nutter added.

According to CNN, along with at least six people dying in Tuesday's crash, another 150 have been injured.

"We have confirmed an engine and all seven cars derailed," a U.S. Department of Transportation representative told CNN Wednesday.

The train reportedly derailed at around 9:30 eastern time near the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia. Authorities report that one of the cars was almost flipped completely over, while three were standing sideways following the derailment.

 "Train cars are overturned," Philadelphia fire commissioner Derrick J. V. Sawyer told the New York Times. "They're in horrible shape. There's a bunch of debris down there, sharp objects. It's a dangerous situation for responders, even more dangerous for the riders out there."

Authorities have said that they need to match the train's manifest will all survivors who walked off the train to determine if there are any other casualties caused by Tuesday evening's incident.