CHESTER, Pa. — An Amtrak train derailed southwest of Philadelphia, killing two people and injuring dozens more early Sunday after striking a backhoe on the tracks, the authorities said.
The two people who were killed were not on the train when the lead engine of Amtrak’s Train 89, running from New York City to Savannah, Ga., went off the tracks shortly before 8 a.m., said Ruth Miller, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
“They were on, in or near the backhoe that was struck,’’ she said in an e-mail. The victims were not immediately identified.
The railroad said more than 30 passengers were taken to hospitals, though none with life-threatening injuries.
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said he was told by Amtrak board chairman Anthony Coscia that the workers killed were the backhoe operator and a supervisor, both Amtrak employees. He said debris flew into the first two cars, injuring passengers.
Schumer said it was unclear whether the backhoe was performing regular maintenance, which is usually scheduled on Sunday mornings, or clearing debris after high winds in the area overnight. He said Amtrak has ‘‘a 20-step protocol’’ for having backhoes on the track, and no trains are supposed to go on a track where such equipment is present.
‘‘Clearly this seems very likely to be human error,’’ Schumer said, calling for Amtrak to review its processes. ‘‘There is virtually no excuse for a backhoe to be on an active track.’’
Amtrak did not return calls seeking comment.
The collision mangled the front of the engine, shattering its windshield, and jolted many people from their seats. Several witnesses described seeing flames shoot up.
Stephen Gardner, an Amtrak spokesman, said service between New York and Philadelphia continued but it was suspended between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority also briefly halted its service.
New Jersey Transit said it was continuing to offer its regular Sunday service along the Northeast Corridor. It said it would accept Amtrak tickets between New York and Trenton, N.J., during the service interruption.
The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating. Federal Railroad Administration officials were also sent to the scene.
Safety concerns about Amtrak flared last year after the derailment of a New York-bound train in Philadelphia left eight people dead and more than 200 others injured.
Businessman Steve Forbes told CSPAN’s ‘‘Book TV’’ by phone that he was in the next-to-last car Sunday when the train ‘‘made sudden jerks’’ as if it was about to make an abrupt stop. Forbes, chairman of Forbes Media, said ‘‘everyone’s coffee was flying through the air.’’ There was smoke and the smell of smoldering brakes, he said. ‘‘The most disconcerting thing [was] not knowing what had happened,’’ he said. Since the public address system was knocked out, he and others were left to speculate for 20 or 25 minutes before a crew member came back to tell them what had happened, he said.
“The direct impact was big,’’ a passenger, Adriene Hobdy, said by telephone. “It was terrible, absolutely terrible. All you felt was boom, boom, boom, boom. Our windows flew out. People were trying to get on the floor, trying to walk.’’
Corporal Steven Byrne of the Chester Police Department said an understanding of how the accident unfolded remained sketchy. “We’re trying to make way through this mess,’’ he said.
The train was carrying about 340 passengers. Many who were able to walk were taken to Trainer United Methodist Church and given food and water. They were being put on buses and transported to Philadelphia, Amtrak said.
Hobdy, 33, who was given ibuprofen for knee injuries, described scenes of panic.
“People started saying, ‘Get up and walk toward the back, leave your luggage, get up and walk toward the back.’ So we did,’’ she said. Hobdy said she did not observe any injuries that appeared serious, but some people seemed to have back pain, and others were using clothing to try to stop the flow of blood from cuts.
Ari Ne’eman, a disability rights activist heading to Washington, said he was in the second car, which “started shaking wildly — there was a smell of smoke, it looked like there was a small fire and then the window across from us blew out,’’ said Ne’eman, 28.
Amtrak offered an emergency hot line, 800-532-9101, for people with questions about friends and family on the train.
US railroad passenger deaths have been relatively rare, with trains derailing about 30 times a year over the past decade, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration. Last month, an Amtrak train derailed in southwest Kansas, sending more than 30 passengers to hospitals.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
