The Amtrak train involved in Tuesday night's fatal Philadelphia crash may have been traveling at more than 100 miles an hour as it entered a sharp curve where it derailed, the Wall Street Journal reports.

At least seven people died in the incident, in which the locomotive and all seven passenger cars of the train went off the tracks north of the Pennsylvania city's downtown area. More than 200 riders were injured in the crash, of whom eight remain in critical condition.

The National Transportation Safety Board told Politico it is "very carefully documenting" information about the train's speed, as well other conditions that may have contributed to the accident.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Railroad Administration has set a 50-mile-per-hour speed limit in that section of track where the crash occurred.

With the investigation in full force, the White House issued a statement saying President Barack Obama was "shocked and deeply saddened" by Tuesday night's events.

"Philadelphia is known as the city of brotherly love," the president noted, "and that spirit of loving-kindness was reaffirmed last night, as hundreds of first responders and passengers lent a hand to their fellow human beings in need."

The United States Naval Academy, meanwhile, confirmed that one of the passengers killed in the accident was a midshipman studying at the Annapolis, Maryland institution; the individual was on leave, the academy said, though it would not reveal the student's name or gender.

"The Naval Academy is supporting the midshipman's family, friends, and loved ones during this time of grief," the institution noted in a statement on Facebook.

Janelle Richards, an NBC News producer who was traveling on Amtrak Train 188, told the New York Times that the chaos following its impact was "surreal."

"As we were riding along I felt the impact and heard the noise and was thinking: 'What just happened? Did this train really just crash?'" Richards recalled. "Immediately after the crash, I looked to my left and there was a woman in the aisle and she had blood streaming down her face. ... Passengers that were already out were helping to pull us through."