5 injured in Amtrak derailment

ANNAPOLIS, Missouri (CNN) -- A Texas-bound Amtrak train carrying 186 people derailed early Sunday in a remote area in southeastern Missouri, sending four passengers and an engineer to a hospital with minor injuries.

Four were released by early afternoon.

There were heavy rains and flash flooding in the area, which officials believe may have led to the accident. Federal investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene.

Amtrak's Texas Eagle was 120 miles south of its last stop, St. Louis, en route to San Antonio from Chicago when it derailed at 2 a.m., said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina VanVeen.

While VanVeen said that a small bridge over a creek may have washed out and may have caused the accident, Amtrak officials later said it was unclear if that was the case.

"It's really speculative at this point," said spokeswoman Cheryle Jackson.

Jackson said there was "severe weather" and flash flooding in the area, but investigators were still trying to determine the precise cause of the accident.

The train was carrying 174 passengers and 12 crew members, she said.

The train had two locomotives and 19 cars. Both locomotives and three other cars derailed, but none carried passengers.

Jackson said all of the injuries were minor. A fifth passenger who was en route to undergo a kidney transplant was not injured, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The Red Cross helped take the remaining passengers to a community shelter. Amtrak was arranging alternative transportation for them.