The death toll in last week's train-tractor collision in US state of Nevada has gone up to six while 28 people remain unaccounted for, reports said on Sunday.
A statement from US passenger train operator, Amtrak, issued in the accident's aftermath said it occurred at a railcross outside the city of Reno at around 11.20 am local time on Friday.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials who are investigating the accident went through the popular Zephyr train's manifest which showed that 210 commuters were on board. A NTSB official has been quoted as saying in The Los Angeles Times that some of the people whose names figured in the manifest may not have boarded or got down along the way before the mishap occurred.
The Zephyr train service along Chicago-California stretch is a major draw among tourists for the breathtaking view it provides.
According to Amtrak officials and local sheriff's office, the train's driver and crew were among those killed in the accident. Some 20 people who sustained injuries are in hospital. The NTSB has also rushed a team of anthropologists to the accident site to assist in the probe and to help identify human remains.
The worst US train mishap in recent times occurred on September 12, 2008 in Chatsworth, California when a Metrolink commuter train rammed a Union Pacific freight locomotive killing 25 people and injuring 135.
A subsequent probe revealed that the train driver may have been distracted by text messages on his mobile phone which led to the commuter train jumping the red light to collide head on with the freight train.
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