Four die in 'theme park special' rail crash

Rail officials worked through twisted rails, overturned carriages and crushed trees in Florida today, trying to learn what caused a derailment that killed four people and injured 133 others.

Fourteen of the 16 carriages on the Amtrak Auto Train - a favourite among tourists travelling between Washington and Orlando’s theme parks - went off the tracks last night.

The death toll had been reported at six overnight, but was revised downward today by investigators and medical officials.

It could not be immediately determined why the train derailed, officials said. The track had been inspected hours before the crash and had been in good condition.

‘‘Apparently the engineer went into an emergency braking mode- we don’t know why,’’ said highway patrol spokesman Chuck Williams.

Amtrak said the train, which carries passengers as well as their cars, had 440 passengers and 28 crew members.

James Pierce had just settled into his sleeper car for the near 17 hour trip to Washington when the train screeched off the rails and slammed into pine trees lining the tracks.

‘‘It felt like it was sliding to the left and suddenly it just toppled,’’ he said.

Pierce said he grabbed the sleeper car’s curtains when the train left the track, and within seconds he found himself hanging in the air. After the train came to a stop, he removed the emergency window and began pulling people out of the cabin.