SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Several cars of the New York City-bound Amtrak Crescent with 218 people aboard went off the tracks in South Carolina early Monday, as bags flew and passengers clung to each other, authorities and passengers said.
There were no serious injuries, Amtrak said. There were 207 passengers and 11 crew members aboard when the cars derailed shortly after midnight with temperatures in the 20s from a cold front sweeping the Southeast.
Passenger Carrie Lambert said she was at the back of the train when she felt the car start to sway and then tilt.
‘‘The car felt like it was about to flip over. . . . I was holding onto my brother for dear life,’’ the Atlanta woman said. ‘‘Bags went everywhere. It was crazy. Really scary.’’
Amtrak said alternative transportation was arranged for buses and trains to take stranded passengers to their destinations further up the East Coast. Most spent hours aboard the disabled train through the predawn hours.
Seven of the nine cars on Train 20 from New Orleans went off the track but stayed upright, Amtrak said. There was no immediate word on the cause, as investigators from several agencies and work crews converged at the site.
Tony Barnett, deputy fire marshal of Spartanburg County, said there were no serious injuries, though he added that four passengers with minor injuries were taken to a hospital for evaluation.