By
CBS News/WKRG Staff
.
Published: Mon, September 22, 2008 - 10:34 am
Last Updated: Mon, September 22, 2008 - 11:29 am
On September 22, 1993, an Amtrak passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Miami derailed on the Bayou Sara drawbridge and plunged into the bayou below. Federal investigators believed the accident was due to the weakening of the bridge's supports by a barge that had crashed into it shortly before the train reached the overpass.
47 passengers and crew were killed when four of the train's eight cars fell into the murky water.
Simultaneously fire broke out on the bridge above, engulfing the cars remaining on the tracks. 163 passengers and crew survived, surprisingly
sustaining no major injuries.
Click here for a more indepth look back at the tragedy including interviews with the rescue crews who resonded that day.
It's the deadliest crash in Amtrak's 37 year history.
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I remember this horrific day! My heart goes out to all that lost a loved one…