Passenger train derails in Bronx, New York

Deutsche Welle, 1 November 2013

A commuter train, bound for New York's Grand Central Station, has derailed in the Bronx. Officials have said four people were killed in the accident which occured at the end of the Thanksgiving holiday travel weekend.

Speaking at the scene of the crash, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said four people were killed with 63 others injured on Sunday when the Metro-North passenger train derailed in the Bronx.

He said officials believe everyone at the site has been accounted for and that the train operator is among the injured.

The train, heading southbound from Poughkeepsie to New York's Grand Central Station, derailed at around 7:20 a.m. (1220 GMT) by Palisade Avenue near the Spuyten Duyvil railroad station, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) said.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) spokesperson Marjorie Anders said the curve where the accident occurred is in a slow speed area. She said the black box onboard should be able to tell how fast the train was traveling at the time of the crash.

Photos taken of the scene of the accident show several cars on their side with one just feet from the edge of the water where the Harlem Rive meets the Hudson.

Sunday marks the end of America's Thanksgiving holiday, which annually sees many people in mass transit as they travel home to their families across the United States for the long weekend.

hc/jr (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)

Related Article:

Investigators say New York train traveling too fast at time of crash