Missing, it very well could get worse. And the world lead falling asleep on the job should probably earn you a demerit at work. But when your boss is kim jongun, you apparently get a bizarre death sentence instead. A startling report says north koreas dear leader had one of his top officials executed in public. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. Tragt straight to the breaking news this hour we know at least seven people are dead and more remain missing after an amtrak train from washington, d. C. Headed to new york city careened off the rails just outside of philadelphia. And now the National Transportation safety board says preliminary data indicates that train was traveling as much as 50 Miles Per Hour faster than the recommended speed around that curve. Surveillance video shows train 188, its 238 passengers and five crew members on board pulling away just minutes before the normal routine ride took a deadly turn. Once the lead car hit the curve at the frankford junction, something went terribly wrong. Glass and luggage spilled onto the dirt. Passengers recorded video from their cell phone cameras from inside the train as they rushed to escape the wreckage. Several people say the sudden event knocked them unconscious and they woke up against the glass. Their train car flung upon its side. Rene marsh is in philadelphia. We heard from philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter saying we still do not know what happened here. We also heard him say police have interviewed the engineer. Sources are telling you that investigators believe the train was traveling way, way too fast the ntsb making that announcement just minutes ago. What led them to that conclusion . Reporter well jake while i talk to you, it is still a search operation here. But meantime theres a fullblown investigation under way. As you mentioned, we now know that train was going in excess of 100 Miles Per Hour as it approached a curve that had a speed limit of 50 Miles Per Hour. The reason why investigators know this they are looking at how the wreckage is laid out at the site, looking at the angles. Theyre also looking at the sort of damage to the train cars. And we also know they have the trains event recorders. The question now, though is why was this train going so fast . Keep crawling. Crawl forward, sir. Reporter passengers making a desperate escape from new yorkbound amtrak train 188. The car started to fill with ek smo. Smoke. We were all trying to get out of the car. I remember somebody saying stay calm. Reporter according to a source briefed by investigators, the train was traveling over 100 Miles Per Hour as it approached a curve with a 50mileperhour speed limit. Seven cars jumped the tracks. Amtrak has shut down the entire northeast corridor. Reporter Emergency Responders rushed to the scene. We have people on the tracks and a couple of cars overturned. Reporter people on board say as the train passed through philadelphia and negotiated the turn, the train started to shake. We were in the front seat. And this huge red suitcase just came flying at me. Our train was actually on its side. So it pushed me onto the side of the train. Reporter video obtained by cnn shows the train moments before the fatal crash. You see it passing by, then flashes of light. Reporter as we know it often referred to as a black box, that has been recovered. It is now in the Amtrak Operations Center in delaware for analysis. Reporter the trains recorders will tell investigators exactly how fast the train was traveling. Back at the site the primary focus hours after the fatal crash is the recovery operation. At first, it was just kind of like whoa what just happened kind of thing. And just being glad that it stopped. Youre alive. Now what . Reporter now, back to that engineer we know that he was injured but he received medical attention. We also know that he gave a statement to the police here in philadelphia. We dont know what was in that statement, what he said to police. But we do know he is now a sharp focus, very much in focus for investigators here as they try to figure out what went wrong, jake. Something indeed went very, very wrong. Rene marsh in philadelphia, thank you so much. As rene just said the situation remains very much ongoing. Six area hospitals have treated more than 200 patients. Hospital Officials Say that some victims had injuries ranging from cracked ribs to collapsed lungs. About half of the people treated have now been released. But eight remain in Critical Condition at the hospital of Temple University. Others remain missing. I want to go to the crash site now. Erin mclaughlin is there. How close are official there is to clearing the scene . Reporter theyre simply not at that point yet. The search very much ongoing. The area expanded last night, they brought out sniffer dogs and expanded it in the early hours of this morning, still looking for anyone who could potentially they say have been thrown from the train. And thats because all 243 people that they believe may have been on board have yet to be accounted for. There could be several other reasons for that. There could be that some people simply walked away from the crash site. It also could be that some people who were supposed to have been on the train, who had tickets for the train didnt actually board the train. But looking at that wreckage it does seem absolutely incredible that anyone could have walked away. I spoke to one passenger, jeff cutler who described for me the moment of impact. Theres this split second where to me it felt like the car was lifting off the ground. It was lifting off the rail. We were going through a curve. And whatever speed it was going at, pushed it out and pushed it up. And we just flew it almost felt like flying but it wasnt the right kind of flying. And it hit with a thud. Reporter he says he was later brought to the hospital with other victims on board police vans because there simply werent enough ambulances to tend to all the wounded. He also said that he would ride amtrak again, jake. Erin, thank you so much. How did this trip that was all too routine for many people on board end in such a spectacular tragedy . Our own tom foreman is in the virtual studio with a look at how a crash like this could happen. Tom . Weve been hearing about speed all day. And the reason is because there were early indications that might be in play. Look at this Surveillance Video that rene made mention of. If you compare the length of one car or the locomotive, its 600 yards away from where the train would crash, it was traveling substantially faster than it should have been. Lets bring in a model of a train and talk about why that matters. A train like this is a very substantial bit of mass moving down the tracks. The engine alone is around 97 metric ton, pushing up toward 250,000 pounds. At 50 miles an hour what youre going to see with a train like this is a good bit of weight pushing over that way. The same as when you go around a corner in your car, it wants to push your over. But take it to 100 miles an hour and that force gets much, much stronger. Maybe not enough to make this locomotive come leaping off the tracks baa what about the rest of the car where the passengers are . You heard that gentleman a moment ago talking about feeling like they were flying. These back here are much lighter than the locomotive up front. And when that motion happens, its like taking a garden hose and whipping it. It may be anchored here but the back of it really starts to sling. Look at the spanish train crash from a couple of years back. The train was supposed to be going 50 miles an hour instead, much faster. And watch how the Passenger Cars pull off. This is why it was easy for people to talk about speed early on. This accident fit the pattern. We have a whole investigation to complete. But right now, thats why speed keeps coming to the forefront. Tom foreman, thank you so much. Joining me now is Robert Halstead along with bob francis. Thank you both for joining us. Mr. Francis, let me start with you. The ntsb now saying that this train according to initial Data Analysis was going in excess of 100 miles an hour around this 50mileanhour curve. Some passengers also said before the crash it felt like the train was moving excessively fast. Assuming that information is correct and this is obviously early information, would this suggest that speed was the major if not the only factor in this accident . It certainly is a good candidate for the top of the pile. Obviously there will be a lot more analysis done of the scene et cetera, et cetera. But double the speed on a obviously difficult curve is certainly a candidate for being right up there. Mr. Halstead we just watched tom foreman show us the physics of this. 100 miles an hour versus 50 in a crash like this. Whats your experience in similar crashes . Well right off the bat, looking at the size of the debris field that we had here the fact that we had a Passenger Car that was bent virtually in half and the entire train itself was located a significant distance from the track it was riding on all those factors combine to give me the initial impression at least that this was a fairly highspeed derailment. Not talking 20 to 30 Miles Per Hour. Were talking something significantly higher than that. Bob, let me stay with you for a second. We know many people dont follow speed limits in their cars. Ive certainly be guilty of that in the past. How often are engineers driving in excess of the speed limit . Is it that unusual to bend these rules . Well speed limits on a railroad are very different than those on a highway. Were all familiar driving along an expressway you can get away with 10 Miles Per Hour or 12 Miles Per Hour above the limit. And the police arent going to give you a whole lot of attention. Very different in the railroad environment. If an engineer is caught traveling in excess of 10 Miles Per Hour above maximum authorized speed, that is a decertification event. Because that could immediately pull his federal license based on that and that alone. And also in addition to licensure issues you have simply the extreme increase in Kinetic Energy that you have when you start adding on Miles Per Hour above what the track and signal system is designed for. Bob francis, you were talking about what the wreckage looks like. Give us a little bit more information about what it might tell you when you look at this mess this tragic disaster in philadelphia. Whats your gut tell you about what happened here . Well i think it will confirm where the recorders are saying in terms of the speed. And it will show pretty precisely exactly where it went off on presumably on the curve. And it tells you a lot about the crashworthiness of the cars where people were sitting and where they ended up. Theres a whole lot of information there. And i think one would hope that the rail systems in this country would take a good look at this because as you probably know this is not the first time weve seen an accident like this on even the northeast corridor route. Bob halstead the lead car survived intact. The second car is a mangled wreck. What can investigators tell from the position and condition of these cars . Well a wreck like this can probably be computer simulated. And thats probably one of the things that the ntsb and other entities are going to be pursuing in the days ahead. But its possibly a train may have jackknifed in such a fashion that the second and third cars were actually the ones that may have struck a heavy fixed obstruction such as the bridge support for the pedestrian bridge that passed over this location and also possibly parked train cars. We dont know that for sure at this point. Robert halstead, robert francis, thank you both. Investigators still looking for clues on exactly how this crash happened as a startling revelation the ntsb saying preliminary information indicates the train was going in excess of 100 Miles Per Hour. More than double the recommended speed around that curve. Philadelphias City Council President will be next with the latest on the ongoing search efforts there. People are still missing. Thats after this quick break. dog mmm. This beneful is so good and healthy. Hey, you know what . We should just go ahead and have this for breakfast tomorrow. 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But in the last few minutes, we learned that the National Transportation safety board investigators say preliminary data indicates the train was traveling more than 100 Miles Per Hour in a 50mileperhour curve when it shot off the rails. Thats more than double the speed limit for the curve. Lets bring in philadelphia City Council President darrell clarke. Council president clarke, good to see you obviously though i wish it were under better circumstances. We heard what mayor nutter said not long ago. Youve been in emergency briefings with officials all day. What can you tell me about what investigators think was the reason for this tragedy . First, our prayers go out to the victims and the families. To look at the site, you shake your head. It is unreal to see the level of destruction coming from this particular crash. Its just unbelievable. The metal, the way its strewn across the tracks on the engine sitting literally yards away from the rest of the train. Other damage around the perimeter, something youve never seen before in your life. In all honesty im amazed that not more people met a very, very different fate. Were happy that not more people were injured to the degree that some of those unfortunately that passed. This is bizarre. Ive nerve seen anything like this, jake. Its horrific. And obviously great work by the Emergency Responders in philadelphia last night and throughout the day. What have you been told by emergency officials . Do they think that the speed was the reason for this crash . Are there other possibilities . Well early reports are that it was clearly excessive speed on this curve. This is a curve that would normally take 50 Miles Per Hour. Theres one shortly up the track that would be around 60. Theyre reporting that 100plus Miles Per Hour at this location. It clearly exceeds that particular limitation. We didnt see any other obstructions around the track. So its clear that it was not an accident with a Freight Train as was indicated earlier last night. We have to wait until the final presentation is given. But clearly people have expectations of safety as it relates to taking mass transit. In this particular case the northeast corridor people have expectations that its going to be a safe ride. When its all said and done, the inspections will be done. The analysis will be done. We have to make sure that Something Like this never happens again along the corridor. I know that there are still people missing. Is it possible that there are still people inside any of these train cars . Well theyre not giving any specific information. But the reality is theyre basing the unaccounted for and the passenger manifest can give certain information with respect to the people that were noted that were on the train, the number of people. But the simple reality ive been told there are Staff Members of the railroad that may get on the train that may not list it in a very formalized way. So we want to wait until every vehicle is inspected to make sure theres no one left in those vehicles and then the whole Recovery Process as it relates to the vehicles will take place. Philadelphia City Council President darrell clarke, thank you. Our thoughts and prayers are with the city of philadelphia and with all of those whom have been affected by this horrific tragedy. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Coming up this crash is having a major impact on travelers up and down the east coast. Long lines at airports. Not a single Seat Available on buses. That story next. Plus were now learning more about some of the victims of this accident, including a 20yearold Naval Academy midshipmen, many injured s