Several people were injured in an afternoon collision Tuesdaybetween a Waste Management garbage truck and an Amtrak passengertrain at the crossing at Hartley Lane in Crystal Springs.

Mississippi Emergency Management Spokesman Greg Flynn said 24people were transported to four different hospitals in Copiah andHinds counties. He said Hardy Wilson Memorial Hospital inHazlehurst reported it transported 15 people. Fourteen were treatedand released, and one was kept overnight.

American Medical Response ambulance service reports transportingtwo to Baptist Hospital, two to University Medical Center, two toCentral Mississippi Medical Center, and two to Hardy Wilson. One ofthose taken to the hospital was a first responder with heat issues,Flynn said.

The two victims at UMC are listed in critical and seriouscondition, respectively, a spokesperson said. Flynn said one wasairlifted and one was taken to Jackson by ambulance.

Amtrak spokesman Mark Magliari said one Amtrak passenger stayedin the hospital overnight.

Neither Amtrak nor Waste Management officials would release thenames of those injured.

Flynn said the train was carrying 98 passengers and 10 crewpersonnel.

The southbound train, which left Chicago Monday night headed forNew Orleans, collided with the truck along a rural stretch of trackin northern Copiah County around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Theintersection of the tracks and Hartley Lane has no crossing guardsor lights.

Copiah County Civil Defense Director Randle Drane said he couldnot speculate on whether the truck driver was aware the train wascoming or not when he approached the intersection.

After the collision, the train came to rest about 200 yardsnorth of the bridge near the intersection of Highway 27 and NorthJackson Street just outside of Crystal Springs.

A fire broke out after the collision, authorities said, andvolunteer firefighters remained on the scene as a precaution afterthe blaze was contained. Drane was unable to say if the fire causedany injuries.

The train had also partially derailed, with the both the frontand the back cars coming off the tracks. Officials said there wereno passengers in the back car at the time of the wreck.

More than 10 agencies were present to secure the scene.

Drane said the passengers who were not transported to localhospitals were loaded on school buses and taken to Crystal SpringsMiddle School. Officials said they would be taken to theirdestination by bus.

“It was about 7:30 last night that the luggage finally arrivedoff the train, and the charter buses came and got them,” Flynn saidWednesday morning.

Railroad officials expected the rails to be clear of wreckage bynightfall Tuesday.

“Our northbound train was greatly delayed,” said Magliari. “Weheld it in New Orleans until we were sure it could run again.”

Flynn echoed the feelings of many on the scene when he said itwas a blessing there were no more serious injuries.

“We’re just thankful right now to have no loss of life,” hesaid.

The accident is under investigation by the NationalTransportation Safety Board, MEMA, the Copiah County Sheriff’sOffice, Canadian National Railroad, Amtrak and WasteManagement.

Copiah County was the site of another train collision last monthin which an elderly woman was killed and her husband severelyinjured after their car collided with a CN Railway freight train atthe Monticello Road crossing in Hazlehurst.