More than 40 people were injured Thursday in northwest Arkansas when a freight and passenger train collided. The Arkansas Missouri Railroad Police reported that entire six-member crew and 38 passengers aboard were all injured.

The passenger train departed from Springdale, Arkansas, and was travelling the roughly 130-miles south to Van Buren Thursday morning on a planned fall foliage sightseeing excursion. The two trains met around 10:30 a.m. when the passenger train stalled on a small grade due to excess leaves on the track, according to police. Some details of the crash remain unclear.

The Arkansas and Missouri Railroad operates the passenger train, said Ron Sparks, the railroad's police chief.

"We called for another locomotive to come help," Sparks said. "Somehow there was miscommunication on the passenger train's position, and the locomotive rounded the curve and crashed into the passenger train. ... It's a pretty rural area, we had to park in woods, and wade through a river to get the passengers, using four-wheelers to pull them out."

Local police and fire emergency responders were quick to the scene according to police.

One of the train's conductors suffered a fractured back and ankle and was rushed to a nearby hospital, Sparks said. 31 of the passengers from either train were also sent to local hospitals. Five of the passengers were in critical condition, according to FOX News.

Emergency Management Director for Washington County John Luther reported 37 people were able to walk away from the wreck.

Luther also said that about 300 gallons of diesel fuel had been spilled from the trains near the White River. Hazmat teams were sent to inspect the site.

A portion of nearby Highway 71 was temporarily closed to allow for rescue vehicles. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a "Go-Team" of investigators Thursday evening to the crash site to determine the details of the collision.