USA - train crash in LA

[John Ashworth]

Three killed in LA train crash

* Dan Glaister in Los Angeles
* The Guardian,
* Saturday September 13 2008

At least three people were reported to have been killed and 23 critically injured when a passenger train collided yesterday with a freight train during the afternoon rush hour in a Los Angeles suburb.

Television pictures showed firefighters using cranes and cutting equipment to remove passengers from a train carriage that had overturned following the collision. An hour later firefighters could be seen attempting to extricate the injured from the train. Sections of the passenger train caught fire, and fire department officials warned of the possibility of spilled fuel from the trains igniting.

The Metrolink passenger train, heading north from Los Angeles union station, collided with a southbound Union Pacific freight train near Chatsworth, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley, 18 miles north of the city.

Officials said that freight train was being pulled by two engines, while the double-deck passenger train had one engine. The front carriage of the passenger train overturned. Television pictures showed the carriage lying on its side alongside the track, while firefighters on top of the carriage worked to cut their way through the metal exterior.

Stacy Sullivan, who saw the trains collide, said many passengers were injured, and several unable to get out of the train.

"The Metrolink train hit the back of the freight train," she told NBC news. "There was a huge, horrific noise, a lot of black smoke. There were a lot of people moaning, crying out for help. A lot of people were trapped and a lot of people seriously injured." Passengers were unable to open the doors of the second carriage in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

The cause of the accident, which took place on a bend, remained unknown.

[John Ashworth]

Death toll in LA train crash rises

* Dan Glaister in Los Angeles and agencies
* guardian.co.uk,
* Saturday September 13 2008 14:12 BST

At least 17 people were reported to have been killed and as many as 135 injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train during the afternoon rush hour in a Los Angeles suburb yesterday.

Emergency crews worked through the night and into this morning to search for people trapped in the wreckage.

Firefighters used cranes and cutting equipment to remove passengers from a carriage that overturned following the collision.

Sections of the passenger train caught fire, and fire department officials warned of the possibility of spilled fuel from the trains igniting.

Los Angeles police today estimated that the death toll could be as high as 20.

Dr Marc Eckstein, the city fire department's medical director, said 135 people were taken to hospital, around 85 of them in a serious or critical condition.

At least two more people remained trapped in a passenger carriage, but it was not clear whether they were still alive, he added.

The Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, said: "This is the worst accident I've ever seen. Clearly, the injuries are going to mount and so are the fatalities."

The Metrolink passenger train, heading north from Los Angeles Union station, collided with a southbound Union Pacific freight train near Chatsworth, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley 18 miles north of the city.

Officials said the freight train was being pulled by two engines, while the double-deck passenger train had one engine.

The front carriage of the passenger train overturned, and television pictures showed it lying on its side alongside the track while firefighters worked to cut through the metal exterior.

Stacy Sullivan, who saw the trains collide, said many passengers were injured and several were unable to get out of the train.

"The Metrolink train hit the back of the freight train," she told NBC news.

"There was a huge, horrific noise, a lot of black smoke. There were a lot of people moaning, crying out for help. A lot of people were trapped and a lot of people seriously injured."

Leslie Burnstein said she heard people screaming in agony as she ran to the wreckage where dozens were trapped.

"It was horrendous," the psychologist, who saw the crash from her home, said. "Blood was everywhere ... I heard people yelling, screaming in pain, begging for help."

Passengers were unable to open the doors of the second carriage in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

The cause of the accident, which happened on a bend, is currently unknown.

[Tom Macrery]

Just heard on the news that the driver was on his cell phone.

[M. Hardy-Randall]

Here is a link to the news from the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/ ... 624625.stm

Malcolm