2 Dec 2013

Four killed in New York train crash

2:43 pm on 2 December 2013

A passenger train crashed in the Bronx area of New York City on Sunday morning and at least four people were killed.

Sixty-three people were injured when several carriages came off the tracks at a bend in the railway line. Eleven are believed to be in a critical condition in hospital.

There is speculation that excessive speed may have been a factor. The train was the 5.54am from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Station. It was about half full when it crashed, with about 150 passengers.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said none of the carriages had gone into the adjacent Hudson or Harlem rivers.

The Fire Department said the derailment occurred at 7.20am near Spuyten Duyvil station and that 130 firefighters were on the scene.

The BBC reports Metro-North is a rail service for commuters from New York City's northern suburbs. It is not part of the New York City subway system.

Hudson Line services are suspended.

Casualty figures were confirmed by New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"It's obviously a very tragic situation," he said. "The first order of business is to care for the people who were on the train ... we'll wait to see what the NTSB says before speculating as to any causes."