An Amtrak train derailed on a highway overpass south of Seattle early Monday morning, leaving at least three people dead, a figure officials revised late Monday afternoon.
The train, which was travelling at speeds in excess of 80 mph, saw several of its cars spill out onto the Interstate-5 below.
READ MORE: Multiple people killed as Amtrak train derails south of Seattle
The train was carrying about 78 passengers as well as five crew members, Amtrak said in a statement.
Thirteen of the train’s 14 cars jumped the tracks, Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Brooke Bova said. Five vehicles and two trucks were involved in the accident, and the highway was littered with fragments of the bridge and tree branches.
WATCH: Multiple deaths reported in Amtrak crash
Late Monday afternoon, officials announced that more than 100 people had been transported to hospital.
It was not immediately clear what caused the train to derail. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to the site.
READ MORE: Amtrak derailment: Local mayor issued grave warning weeks before deadly incident
Train 501 was making its first ever run along the route, which was intended to provide faster service between Tacoma and Olympia.
WATCH: Aerial video of Amtrak train derailment off railway bridge
Just after the train derailed, the conductor spoke with dispatch, in a conversation obtained by Broadcastify.com.
What follows is a transcript of the conversation:
Dispatcher: 501, Come in.
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Amtrak 501: Amtrak 501, answering Centralia North, over.
Dispatcher: Hey guys, what happened?
Amtrak 501: Uh, we were coming around the corner to take the bridge over I-5 there, right north into Squalie and we went on the ground.
Dispatcher: …Is everybody OK?
Amtrak 501: I’m still figuring that out. We got cars everywhere and down onto the highway.
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Motorist describes watching Amtrak train derailment in Washington state -
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NTSB investigators have not yet spoken to Amtrak conductors, engineers following Washington derailment -
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Reporter who got off Amtrak train minutes before it derailed speaks -
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Cellphone video shows derailed Amtrak train hanging over Interstate 5 in Washington state -
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Passenger from derailed Amtrak train describes the scene
Dispatcher: OK, Copy that. Engineer, can (you) comply with stop indications?
Amtrak 501: “This is the conductor, we can comply with the stop signal, over.”
*The conductor and dispatcher then discuss the train’s relative position on the track.*
The conversation finishes with the conductor telling the dispatcher, “as soon as I know where all my train is, I’ll let you know.
*With files from Reuters
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