South Carolina Amtrak crash: 2 killed, 70 injured after trains collide

At least two persons were killed and 70 injured after an Amtrak passenger train collided with a freight train in South Carolina early on Sunday, officials said.

Authorities confirmed that the two deaths occurred in the Amtrak train, not the freight train run by the CSX.

A spokesman for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said that injuries ranged from minor cuts to broken bones, Xinhua news agency reported.

Amtrak said in a statement that its passenger train, operating between New York and Miami, came in contact with a CSX freight train around 2.35 a.m. in Cayce, South Carolina.

"The lead engine derailed, as well as some passenger cars," the statement said, adding: "There were eight crew members and approximately 139 passengers, with injuries reported."