Amtrak Philadelphia: Two dead as train derails

The impact derailed the lead engine of the train

A train has derailed south of the US city of Philadelphia, leaving two people dead and more than 30 others injured.

Amtrak's Train 89 was heading from New York City to Savannah in Georgia when it struck a mechanical digger - known in the US as a backhoe - that was on the track at Chester.

Some 341 passengers and seven crew members were on board.

All Amtrak services between New York and Philadelphia have been suspended.

An Amtrak statement said the impact with the backhoe had derailed the lead engine of the Palmetto train in Chester, 15 miles (24km) from Philadelphia.

The two people killed are believed to have been construction workers who were unable to get off the track in time.

The statement said local emergency responders were at the scene and an investigation was ongoing.

Chester fire department commissioner Travis Thomas provided the figures on casualties.

Amtrak released an emergency hotline number - 800 532 9101.

In May last year, seven carriages of an Amtrak train derailed on the Philadelphia-New York line, killing seven people and injuring more than 200.

And about 20 people were injured when an Amtrak train derailed 20 miles west of Dodge City, Kansas, last month.