In the United States, an Amtrak passenger train on its inaugural trip on a new route derailed this morning in Washington state near the city of Tacoma, spilling multiple cars flying off a bridge and onto a busy interstate, killing at least six people. <br/><br/>Many more were injured on board the train, which hit vehicles on the I-5 highway below. Another 77 people have been taken to hospital, reports say. <br/><br/>The train, which was carrying 78 passengers and five crew, was part of a newly expanded faster rail service along the route linking Seattle and Portland, Oregon featuring new locomotives. <br/><br/>Images from the scene showed that all the carriages of the high-speed train had left the track. It was Amtrak's first passenger service to run on a new, shorter route.<br/><br/>Train 501 had left Seattle, heading south for Portland, at 6 AM local time. The derailment happened on a section of track, south of Tacoma, previously only used for freight trains.<br/><br/>Pierce County Sheriff's department spokesman Ed Troyer said there were multiple fatalities on the train but no motorists had been killed.