Washington Metro Train Collision

[Carmen Stateside]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/22/washington.subway.crash/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A rush-hour collision Monday between two Metro trains north of downtown Washington, D.C., killed at least two people, a Metro official said.


At least two people were killed when two subway trains collided near Washington, a Metro representative said.

The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. on an above-ground track on the Red Line near Takoma Park, Maryland, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Two people were killed as a result of the crash, said Carlotta Tyler, a Metro spokeswoman.

At least nine people have been hurt, a Metro representative said, according to CNN affiliate WJLA.

"Metro reports massive injuries at this time," said a District of Columbia emergency alert. Officials at two area hospitals said they were told to expect injured patients.

Video from WJLA showed much of one Metro car on top of another. Both trains were on the same track, said John Catoe, Metro general manager.



A number of passengers were limping from at least one of the trains, many helping each other exit, video from CNN affiliate WUSA showed.  »

Fire department personnel were cutting through the trains and were still in the process of getting individuals from the wreckage, officials said at a press briefing

[J70]

Six dead as of this evening.

Will be interesting to see what happened. There was a train crash in California last year, and in the last month or two a tram crash and a bus crash caused by operators texting when they should have been keeping an eye on the roads/tracks/signals. Let's hope something like that wasn't the case this time.