Trains collide in Arkansas, leaving 5 critically injured

WINSLOW, Ark. -- Authorities say two trains have collided in rural northwest Arkansas, critically injuring about five people.

An Arkansas state official told CBS News that 44 people were injured after the collision of a sightseeing train and a freight train near Winslow, Arkansas. Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Rick Fahr said the collision occurred near the town of Winslow, about 175 miles northwest of Little Rock.

Washington County Emergency Management Director John Luther says 37 people were able to walk away from the wreck of the 50 people who were aboard the two trains.

CBS affiliate KFSM reports that deputies responded to the crash around 10:30 a.m. More than 10 ambulances were reportedly at the site and two medical helicopters have also landed at the site, the station reported.

The passenger train was carrying tourists on a sight-seeing trip, known as an "excursion train," operated by Arkansas & Missouri Railroad.

Railroad spokesman Ron Sparks says a conductor on one of the trains was airlifted from the scene with possible back injuries.

The National Transportation Safety Board says its investigators are heading to the scene. Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Rick Fahr says it's unclear whether the trains crashed head-on.