Hundreds of Amtrak passengers in South Carolina were stuck on a train for more than a day, prompting some to call police for fear they were being held hostage.
The train, which departed from Washington DC, was delayed more than 29 hours after being diverted due to a, according to The Guardian derailed CSX freight trainreported ABC News.
Panicked passengers, fearing a more serious situation, eventually began dialing 911, which prompted the conductor to announce, “For those of you calling the police, we’re not holding you hostage.”
The autotrain, which allows passengers to travel with their vehicles, was scheduled to arrive in Sanford, Fla., around 10 a.m. Tuesday. But after a scheduled stop in Lorton, Virginia, at 5:30 p.m. Monday, it stopped in a wooded area in Denmark, South Carolina, an hour outside of Columbia.
After a long wait, staff “timed out” meaning they could not legally operate the train and had to wait for a new crew to arrive. The train had limited food supplies and several pets that needed a bathroom break, the Washington Post reported.
The train, carrying 563 passengers and 333 vehicles, finally reached its destination on the morning of January 11th.
