Philadelphia--Officials warned some of the 243 passengers and crew listed on the train's manifest -- many of whom limped away from the wreck bloodied and dazed -- had not yet been accounted for, meaning the death toll could still rise.
They encouraged anyone who may have left the scene without being counted to contact Amtrak.
Sam Phillips, the city's director of emergency management, said area hospitals had treated "over 200 patients last night and this morning."
Herbert Cushing, the chief medical officer at Temple University Hospital, said some suffered rib fractures or collapsed lungs. Some of the victims hailed from Spain, Belgium, Germany and India.
Reportedly among the dead were a staffer for the Associated Press and a midshipman at the US Naval Academy, according to the AP and the Washington Post.
Witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos, as train cars tumbled over, sending passengers banging into one another and luggage flying.
One car was completely flattened in the crash, which took place at about 9:30 pm Tuesday (0130 GMT Wednesday). Wheels lay scattered by the tracks.
Local resident Iwina Washington, 27, told AFP she saw shell-shocked survivors with blood on their faces, looking confused, as rescue personnel converged on the scene.
"It looked like an episode from 'The Walking Dead,'" Washington said.
Philadelphia resident Scott Lauman described a horrendous scene at the crash site, telling AFP: "It look like a bomb went off."
"I really don't understand how there are only seven people dead. From what I saw, the first three cars were done. I don't know how only seven people were killed. Praise the Lord," he said.
Lauman often takes the same Amtrak train to New York, and said it does not typically travel so fast.
"It is never going 100 mph in the city. That's the longest part of the trip, going through Philadelphia. I just don't understand. I just hope it wasn't negligence on the side of the driver."
AFP
