Seven dead, several more in critical condition at TUH following Amtrak train crash

UPDATE: The number of patients that remain at Temple University Hospital has increased to 12. The additional patient entered the hospital Thursday night after transferring from another hospital, a university spokesman said. As of Friday morning, five patients remain in critical condition.

Seven people have been confirmed dead, with that number expected to rise as a result of an Amtrak train that derailed as it approached a curve at Frankford Junction last night, the Inquirer reported.

Amtrak Train 188 was traveling at 100 mph when it jumped the tracks, causing all seven cars to overturn and tumble, the National Transportation Safety Board said. More than 200 people were injured, and the search for more bodies is still continuing, Mayor Nutter said in a press conference at the crash site on Wednesday.

Temple’s chief medical officer Herbert Cushing told the Inquirer that Temple University Hospital received a total of 54 patients because of the crash, 25 of whom remain in the hospital as of late Wednesday afternoon. One of those patients was pronounced dead last night as a result of “massive chest injuries,” Cushing added. Several more remain in critical condition.

The crash has shut down Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New York, the latter of which was where the train was scheduled to arrive late last night. Service on SEPTA’s Trenton Regional Rail line has also been suspended.

A Temple spokesman said that a university faculty member was one of the 238 passengers on the train, and was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he remains as of Wednesday afternoon.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steven.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.