CORRECT LOCATION TO NORTHFIELD, NOT ROXBURY - Emergency first responders assist a woman, center, as she is transferred to an ambulance from a trailer attached to an all-terrain vehicle near the site of an Amtrak train derailment, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The Amtrak train, headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., derailed in central Vermont on Monday after apparently striking rocks that were on the tracks about 20 miles southwest of the capital, Montpelier. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)
The Associated Press
NORTHFIELD, Vt. (AP) - Federal investigators are back at work probing the derailment of a Washington, D.C.-bound Amtrak train that derailed after hitting rocks in Vermont, sending two cars down an embankment and injuring seven people.
One of the victims, a crew member, was seriously hurt and airlifted to a hospital.
The Vermonter, carrying 98 passengers and four crew members, had been on the tracks for about 90 minutes when it hit rocks that had fallen from a ledge onto the tracks in Northfield, about 20 miles southwest of Montpelier at around 10:30 a.m. Monday.
The locomotive and one of the passenger coaches tumbled down an embankment. Three passenger cars left the tracks but remained upright.
"This was a freak of nature," Gov. Peter Shumlin said.
One of the injured people was airlifted to a New Hampshire hospital. Six others went to a local hospital with injuries including neck, back and shoulder pains and lightheadedness.
Amtrak said a crew member was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries but four other people were released by Monday evening.
Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration and National Transportation Safety Board arrived on the scene Monday afternoon.
Passenger Bob Redmond, of Bay City, Michigan, was taking a foliage tour when the train derailed. He looked outside the window and saw the car that had been ahead of his was now alongside him.
"It was just going the other way, and we started tipping sideways and down we went," he said.
Federal records show two companies that have operated that stretch of track have had four accidents since 2006 that could have involved debris on the tracks.
Federal safety rules for tracks that carry passengers require at least two inspections every week, with at least one day between inspections. State officials said a freight train had passed over the tracks Sunday night with no problems.
Numerous derailments around the world have been caused by debris on tracks, many linked to heavy rains that trigger slides. In 2010, a train in Beijing hit mounds of debris left on the track following a landslide, killing 19 people.
The region near Monday's derailment received 2.5 inches of rain between Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said.
Amtrak planned to bus passengers booked on the Vermonter to and from Springfield.
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Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.
In this aerial photo railroad passenger cars from a derailed Amtrak passenger train are surrounded by foliage, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The train, the Vermonter, was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it apparently struck rocks that were on the tracks. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (Stefan Hard/Barre-Montpelier Times Argus via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECT LOCATION TO NORTHFIELD, NOT ROXBURY - Emergency first responders assist a man, center, as he is transferred to an ambulance, right, from a trailer attached to an all-terrain vehicle near the site of an Amtrak train derailment, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The Amtrak train, headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., derailed in central Vermont on Monday after apparently striking rocks that were on the tracks about 20 miles southwest of the capital, Montpelier. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)
The Associated Press
In this aerial photo railroad cars from a derailed Amtrak passenger train are surrounded by foliage, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The train, the Vermonter, was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it apparently struck rocks that were on the tracks. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (Stefan Hard/Barre-Montpelier Times Argus via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECT LOCATION TO NORTHFIELD, NOT ROXBURY - Emergency first responders, left, look on as people board a bus near the site of an Amtrak train derailment, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The Amtrak train, headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., derailed in central Vermont on Monday after apparently striking rocks that were on the tracks about 20 miles southwest of the capital, Montpelier. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)
The Associated Press
CORRECT LOCATION TO NORTHFIELD, NOT ROXBURY - Emergency first responders, left, look on as people board a bus near the site of an Amtrak train derailment, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The Amtrak train, headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., derailed in central Vermont on Monday after apparently striking rocks that were on the tracks about 20 miles southwest of the capital, Montpelier. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)
The Associated Press
In this aerial photo responders stand near railroad tracks, right, at the scene of an Amtrak passenger train derailment, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, in Northfield, Vt. The train, the Vermonter, was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it apparently struck rocks that were on the tracks. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (Stefan Hard/Barre-Montpelier Times Argus via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Brian Bell, a train conductor sits next to an Amtrak train after it derailed, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, near Roxbury, Vt., about 20 miles southwest of Montpelier, Vt. The train, the Vermonter, was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it apparently struck rocks that were on the tracks. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (Cathy Bell/Courtesy of Brian Bell via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Brian Bell, one of the cars of an Amtrak train is seen down an embankment after the train derailed, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, near Roxbury, Vt., about 20 miles southwest of Montpelier, Vt. The train, the Vermonter, was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it apparently struck rocks that were on the tracks. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (Cathy Bell/Courtesy of Brian Bell via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Brian Bell, one of the cars of an Amtrak train is seen after the train derailed, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, near Roxbury, Vt., about 20 miles southwest of Montpelier, Vt. The train, the Vermonter, was headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., when it apparently struck rocks that were on the tracks. No life-threatening injuries were reported. (Cathy Bell/Courtesy of Brian Bell via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press