Some of the passengers on the derailed Amtrak train are talking about the terror they felt when a train went off the tracks in Missouri after striking a truck on Monday afternoon.

"It was very overwhelming," said Jason Drinkard, a passenger who was traveling to Chicago when the train derailed.

"You would never think your train would derail," said Antwoine Matton, another passenger.

Many passengers said they are lucky to be alive. At least three people died, including two on the train and one person in the truck, authorities said.

"It was something that you never think is going to happen, but when it does happen, it's far worse than anything you could have imagined," Drinkard said.

Drinkard, a high school teacher, was traveling with his wife and six students for a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago when he felt the crash.

"Just the carnage, watch all these people who can't walk, or … and it wasn't just the passengers, even the employees," Drinkard said.

Matton said he was on his way to a wedding and had only been on the train for an hour and 30 minutes when it went off the tracks.

"I see people grieving right now so I'm like, this is crazy. Me and my friend walked out just fine," Matton said. "The fact to see so many people come here, too, to help out to give food and water, that's just amazing to me."

Some of the passengers on the train were from as far away as New Mexico and California. Some had been on the train for a day or two. Amtrak's Southwest Chief Train 4 originated in Los Angeles and was en route to Chicago when the crash happened.

Watch the video above for the full story.

JOPLIN, Mont. — Three people have died and numerous injuries have been reported after an Amtrak train derailed along Montana's Hi-Line in Liberty County on Saturday.

Several dead, numerous injuries reported in Amtrak train derailment along Hi-Line

It happened about three miles west of the town of Joplin.

CBS News and The Associated Press report that there are at least three confirmed fatalities, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, with seven of the cars derailing. There is no word yet on what caused the derailment

Amtrak confirmed the derailment near Joplin and released the following statement:

Pictures shared on social media show at least one car completely on its side and several other cars upright or tipped but off the tracks.

A witness described helping passengers exit the derailed cars. Jeremiah Johnson told KRTV that ladders were being used to free people and some had to be cut free.

"We had to lift a few people out with lots of volunteers and then cut some out. There was one lady in the back whose legs were trapped and was unable to be removed without using a saw (to cut away seats)," Johnson said.

Johnson described seeing shoulder, head, and neck injuries. He added that his wife assisted with helping passengers as they got off the train.

"Right now, she's helping out on-site and then was kind of checking people's vitals as they were coming. I brought her to the hospital. They had plenty of help up there so we went to the high school and she started helping get down people's injuries, names, and documenting any medication they may be taking."

MTN

Johnson estimated there were dozens of people at the high school.

Amtrak also included the following information in its news release:

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending 14 investigators to the site, according to CBS News.

The Amtrak passenger line that runs along the Montana Hi-Line is known as the Empire Builder. It runs between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.

This story was originally published by staff at KRTV.