Sunday 1 December 2013

New York train crash: Metro-North derailment in Bronx


Aerial footage shows the derailed train and emergency crews at the scene
At least four people have been killed and dozens injured as a passenger train crashed off its tracks in the Bronx area of New York City.
The Metro-North train's locomotive and carriages derailed as the train went into a bend in the railway line.
Some 130 firefighters are at the scene, and reports tell of bloodied passengers being helped from the carriages, some of which had fallen on their sides.
The train was the 05:54 from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Station.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said none of the carriages had gone into the adjacent Hudson or Harlem rivers - although pictures from the scene suggest this nearly happened.
derailed train The train appeared to be going "a lot faster'' than normal as it approached the curve, one passenger said
Derailed carriage One of the derailed carriages ended up very close to the water
derailed train Dozens of firefighters arrived at the scene to free trapped passengers
injured passenger The injured were ferried to local hospitals
The Fire Department of New York said the derailment had occurred at 07:20 near Spuyten Duyvil station.
The train appeared to be going "a lot faster'' than normal as it approached the curve coming into the station, passenger Frank Tatulli told WABC-TV.
Joel Zaritsky was travelling on the train to attend a dental convention in New York City.
"I was asleep and I woke up when the car started rolling several times," he told the Associated Press news agency.
Two eyewitnesses who live in the area describe the scene
"Then I saw the gravel coming at me, and I heard people screaming. There was smoke everywhere and debris. People were thrown to the other side of the train.''
Metro-North is a rail service that serves commuters from New York City's northern suburbs. It is not part of the New York City subway system.
Hudson Line services have been suspended, the MTA says.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo is at the scene.
He confirmed that four people had died and added that 63 had been injured, 11 of them critically