Several cars of a train carrying nearly 250 passengers derailed on Monday in Missouri, in the central United States, announced the rail company Amtrak, which mentions "injuries", without further details.

The train, which was traveling Los Angeles-Chicago, came off the tracks "after colliding with a garbage truck at a level crossing", in Mendon, Missouri, at 1:42 p.m. local time (6:42 p.m. GMT), details the press release from the public company.

There were "about 243 passengers on board", she added, "and the first elements mention injuries".

Impressive photographs of the accident posted on social media by travelers show many cars lying on the side of the track, passengers escaping from the side windows, in the middle of an agricultural area. AFP could not immediately confirm the authenticity of these images.

Sunday, another train operated by Amtrak had struck a car on a level crossing without automatic barriers in California, killing 3 of the passengers of the vehicle, according to the chain NBC.