SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Several cars of the New York City-bound Amtrak Crescent carrying 218 passengers and crew members went off the tracks early today in South Carolina, but there were no serious injuries, authorities said.

Train 20 from New Orleans became disabled shortly after midnight when seven of the nine cars ran off the track but stayed upright near Spartanburg, Amtrak said.

“The train started to buck, started to twist,” passenger Barbara Gray said. “Some of us were falling out of our chairs.”

Spartanburg County Deputy Fire Marshal Tony Barnett said that the cars had derailed, but Amtrak in its later email said only that the train had become disabled when the seven affected cars lost contact with the tracks.

“There are no cars overturned,” Barnett said from the scene about six miles west of Spartanburg in a semirural area where railway officials, firefighters, sheriffs’ officials and emergency first-responders also were on hand.

Barnett said there were no serious injuries, though he added four passengers with apparently minor injuries were taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

“Heating, lighting and other systems were quickly re-established aboard the train, with meals and other refreshments provided to the passengers,” said the Amtrak statement.