Los Angeles - The engineer in the worst train wreck in California history sent a text message from his cellphone seconds before he slammed into an oncoming freight train in an accident that killed 25 people and injured 135 others last month, federal authorities said Wednesday.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said engineer Robert M. Sanchez sent the message at 4:22 p.m., 22 seconds before he hit A freight train near Los Angeles on September 12, a spokesman for the agency said in a written statement.

In all, Sanchez sent 29 text messages while he was on duty the day of the crash, the NTSB said.

Information about the engineer's messaging activity came after officials previously stated that his train ran through a red light instead of stopping to allow the freight train to pull onto a siding while the commuter train passed. (dpa)