WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - An Amtrak train carrying more than 250 passengers derailed on Sunday (July 2) near Puget Sound in Washington state, injuring several passengers, though none was believed to have been seriously hurt, the rail service reported.

The locomotive and baggage car of train 506 on the Amtrak Cascades line, running between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, Oregon, left the tracks at Chambers Bay Bridge in Steilacoom, Washington, just south of Tacoma, Amtrak said.

From local news media images of the wreck, it appeared that three or four cars of the train were derailed or partially derailed, with the engine seen lying on its side a short distance from the shore of Puget Sound near the Chambers Bay Marina.

The cause of the 2.30pm accident was under investigation, Amtrak said in a statement.

Several of the 267 passengers aboard the train suffered minor injuries, but no serious casualties were reported and none of the crew was hurt, according to Amtrak.

"All passengers are being evacuated, and emergency responders are on the scene," the train service said, adding that travellers were being provided with alternate transportation.

Seattle-area news outlet KOMO.News.com reported that the authorities dispatched rescue boats and a dive team to the area as a precaution, but there was no indication that anyone ended up in the water.