Amtrak and federal safety officials joined forces on Sunday to investigate a train disaster in Montana that killed at least three people and left rural communities scrambling to feed and shelter the survivors.

The westbound Empire Builder train, carrying 141 passengers and 16 crew members, derailed at Joplin, Missouri, a small hamlet of fewer than 200 residents just a few miles from the Canadian border, on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred as Amtrak was wrapping up its annual Rail Safety Week throughout the country.

Starr Tyler, a Liberty County sheriff’s dispatcher, confirmed the deaths and said there were also many injuries.

When the Seattle-bound train from Chicago came to a halt, eight of the train’s 10 cars tumbled off the rails, several of them sitting on their sides, according to Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams.

The disaster and emergency services coordinator for Hill County, Amanda Frickel, said that “well over” 50 individuals were injured.

About 60 passengers were taken to a neighboring school, according to Chester Councilwoman Rachel Ghekiere, where they were able to clean off and obtain food and drink. Many passengers were taken to hotels in Shelby, some 50 miles west of Joplin.

Amtrak stated that almost 500 police and sheriff’s departments from 43 states and the District of Columbia will join its own Police Department and an organization named Operation Lifesaver to perform “Operation Clear Track” to commemorate Rail Safety Week, which lasted from September 20 to Sunday. The sixth annual event is intended to raise awareness about the need of making safe choices near train tracks and crossings while enforcing state-grade crossing and trespassing regulations.

According to Amtrak, Operation Clear Track was designed to assist in minimizing the nearly 2,000 severe injuries and deaths that occur on train tracks across the country each year.