Amtrak train hits freight train near Syracuse

SYRACUSE, New York (CNN) -- An Amtrak train crashed into the back of a CSX train Monday, injuring at least 12 people, authorities said.

The accident happened on a track in Salina, on the northern edge of Syracuse, around noon.

District Fire Chief Andrew Sapoznikov said multiple ambulances were dispatched. He said several people were taken to hospitals, but he didn't know how many or the severity of their injuries.

Stephen Wisely, commissioner with the Department of Emergency Communications in Onondaga County, said "less than 50" people were injured, but he could not provide a more precise figure. Most of those, he said, were minor injuries.

Wisely said east-west passenger service had been interrupted because of the accident.

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