Train on way to ‘Christmas Town’ derails in Mississippi with 200 aboard, officials say

Passengers aboard Mississippi’s “Train to Christmas Town” were startled as the train abruptly derailed with more than 200 passengers onboard, WREG reported.

“It was scary as our car tipped to the right and all the hot cocoa mugs went flying off the tables,” the Rev. Joe May told The Panolian. “To my knowledge no one was injured.”

Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby told Fox 13 “school buses have been dispatched to pick up the families on board and take them back to headquarters.”

It is unclear what may have caused the train to derail, but “officials from the rail company, the rail authority, and local leaders were already scheduled to meet in Batesville Friday morning at 9 a.m. to discuss the future of the train and the possibility of adding other small excursion trips in the future,” The Panolian reported.

The Train to Christmas Town is a holiday-themed train ride that takes passengers to see Santa Claus at “Christmas Town,” according to its Facebook page.