Speed was potentially a major factor in the Amtrak train crash on Tuesday which killed eight people, and the installation of safety technologies could prevent similar accidents from happening in the future, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Amtrak Northeast Regional 188 was travelling from Washington, D.C. to New York on Tuesday night when it derailed in northeast Philadelphia.  On Thursday, NTSB member Robert Sumwalt, who is heading the probe, said the Amtrak train clocked in a speed of 70 miles per hour (mph) before 65 seconds before the crash but it increased to 100 mph 16 seconds before the accident, Time reported.

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NTSB investigators say the Amtrak train had a recorded speed of 106 mph just moments before the crash while traversing along an S-curve which has a 50-mph speed limit.

"Based on what we know right now, we feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred," Sumwalt said in an interview with CNN.

Sumwalt also raised the question of why the system has been used in other areas but not in Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

Most likely, the reason for this is the steep cost of installation. A budget of US$10 billion would be needed to install the speed control technology nationwide and it is very difficult to raise federal money for that, Time explained.

On Thursday afternoon, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer released a statement saying the latest death toll of the Amtrak train crash rose to eight after they pulled a body from the train wreckage a few hours before that. Mayor Michael Nutter, citing officials familiar with the accident, said all of the 243 passengers have already been accounted for.

In light of the recent accident, Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman vowed to install train speed control technology along the Northeast Corridor to slow down and halt speeding trains.

Investigators have recently put the spotlight on Brandon Bostian, the 32-year-old engineer manning the Amtrak train when the accident occurred. Bostian sustained multiple head and leg injuries in the crash.

Brandon Bostian has already submitted himself to blood test to determine whether he had any illegal substance in his body while he was on the Amtrak train and surrendered his cellphone to the authorities. However, his lawer Robert Goggin says Bostian did not use his phone during the crash, and he did not remember the accident.

The eight victims of the Amtrak train crash have been identified as Jim Gaines, Justin Zemser, Rachel Jacobs, Abid Gilani, Derrick Griffith, Bob Gildersleeve, Giuseppe Piras, and Laura Finamore, the report detailed.

In the wake of the Amtrak train crash, passengers looking to travel along the Northeast Corridor are advised to expect limited service in the area for several days.

TagsAmtrak, train crash, Brandon Bostian, Philadelphia, train crash, Amtrak train, Train Accident, speeding train