A derailed passenger train has killed at least five people while injuring dozens more in the north-eastern United States.

Amtrak Train 188 came off the rails in Philadelphia, on route from Washington DC to New York.

Some ten carriages are believed to have been involved in the incident late on Tuesday evening.

More than 240 people are believed to have been on board at the time of the accident, with rescuers searching the wreckage for remaining passengers.

It is not known what caused the derailment, with the National Transportation Safety Board dispatching investigators.