at least 2 dead in metro crash in DC

[Amby 490]

At least two people were killed when a six-car train collided with another train near the Washington, D.C., and Maryland border, officials said Monday.

D.C. fire spokesman Alan Etter says other passengers have been severely injured in what he describes as a "mass casualty event." He says crews are cutting apart the trains to get people out. He said there were several injuries, but did not know how many.

Spokeswoman Taryn McNeil said the collision happened about 5 p.m. between the Fort Totten and Takoma Park stations on Metro's red line.

The collision happened during rush hour on the transit agency's busiest rail line.

Metro general manager John Catoe said at least 60 people had been taken off the trains.

"I don't know the reason for this accident," he said. "I would still say the system is safe, but we've had an incident."

A spokesperson told myfoxdc.com that power to both trains had been cut as a precaution and delays were expected to continue through the night.

A video of the scene showed that one train landed on top of the other after the collision, and a number of people were seen watching from an overpass, myfoxdc.com reported.

Officials said it was too early to determine what caused the crash.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528203,00.html

eta: they just said on the news there's 4 confirmed deaths

Edited June 22, 2009 by Amby

[meowmeowmeow 1]

omg....how horrible...i used that same line every day going to work....hope there aren't any more casualties

[Amby 490]

ok so they said at least 70 off to the hospital, 8 to 10 very bad injuries, 4 confirmed dead

wow

[cdneh 3,112]

Wow indeed. I hope they work out what the blazes happened

[Amby 490]

they just said they think one of the trains was actually stopped on the tracks. the other train collided with it and went up over the top.

[trinket 30]

just hope there wont be any more casualities

[scandal 951]

Condolences to the bereaved families.

Best wishes and prayers for those who were injured.

[cdneh 3,112]

they just said they think one of the trains was actually stopped on the tracks. the other train collided with it and went up over the top.

Oh man. I can imagine the EMS arriving on that scene.

I worked for 22 years in EMS, on the road at first , and the last 15 years in Auckland as Team Manager in the Comms Center. We had a few MCI's in those years, and they are always a nightmare on some level.

I hope the death toll does not mount.

[churipu 4]

This gave me chills...we were on the same red line train from MD yesterday afternoon, we went to the national zoo to celebrate Father's Day...

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Wow, I know that line well. I lived in Tacoma Park, MD for a time when I was in undergrad school and used to take it often to visit relatives. The last fatal Metro crash that I can remember was during a blizzard "rush hour" on an infamous afternoon in January 1982. At the same time, Air Florida's Fight 90, leaving National Airport hit the 14th St. bridge over the Potomac River, then plunged into the icy water, becoming international news. One of my brothers was stuck in traffic on that bridge at the time, trying to get home. I still remember where I was when that happened. Otherwise, the Metro has a very safe and reliable record.

My condolences to the bereaved

[Kar98 0]

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Edited June 23, 2009 by Kar98

[Immigrant2009 0]

That is just sad. Hope the death toll is very low.