JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four people have been hospitalized after a routine ride home on an Amtrak train suddenly came to a halt.
The train, which was heading to South Florida, lost power in the heat of the day over 300 miles away in Jacksonville Sunday morning.
Cellphone video from the scene shows the moment 264 people got off the train to load onto buses to continue their trip after being stuck on that train for over five hours in the hot sun.
Among those on the train were 50 Scouts from South Florida, who were on the way home from North Carolina.
In a statement, Amtrak said the train lost power. On its website, an alert was posted, which read in part, “customers will receive bus transportation between Jacksonville and Miami.”
The town of Hilliard posted a video on Facebook showing the massive response by several different agencies. The post points out how every second counts in extreme temperatures.
Once off the train, first responders had misting fans and provided medical aid to those who needed it.
A local station in Jacksonville reports Nassau County Fire Rescue crews took four people to the hospital for heat-related illness, and treated 16 more at the scene.
