Truemors
Update 2:15pm pst By Saturday afternoon, at least 24 people, including an LAPD officer, were confirmed dead and 135 injured. Of the injured, about 47 remained in critical condition on Saturday, and another 40 were hospitalized in serious condition. About 40 people were flown to hospitals by helicopter from the scene of the crash.
Emergency personnel on Saturday morning continued their intensive search for victims and the event recorders carried by a Metrolink commuter train and a freight train which collided Friday afternoon near Chatsworth, and in an impromptu news conference at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrell said a contract engineer who was driving the Metrolink train was responsible for the crash. She said the engineer was supposed to pull off in resopnse to a red light and wait for the other train to go by, but he failed to do that.
Update Sept 13 9:05 pst As the sun rose on the crash site, the death toll increases to 18.
Rescue workers are using heavy machinery to untangle the twisted wreckage hoping to find more survivors.
Update 9:31pst After a brief pause, firefighters bring in the search dogs to assist with the rescue operation. Heavy equipment has been mobilized and is ready to pull the Metrolink locomotive out from inside the passenger car. 10 people are confirmed dead by the Coroner's Office, one confirmed to be an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. 30 to 35 people were airlifted to area hospitals, with a total of 75 to 100 people reported as injured.
Update 8:25pst As the light fades a firefighter collapses after being helped down from the top of the wreckage. Whether he was overcome emotionally, or injured during the recovery attempt, it is not known. At this point it is still in a rescue and extraction phase.
The death toll has risen to at least 10, but surely more, after Metrolink train number 111 and a freight train collided in Chatsworth today, causing several cars to derail and starting a blaze. Rescue still continues after almost 3 hours.
View live news helicopter video: Situation Room
A Metrolink commuter train believed to be carrying up to 350 people collided with a freight train Friday afternoon, killing four people, injuring dozens and leaving an unknown number of others trapped in a horrifically mangled passenger imploded by its own locomotive.
Firefighters put out a fire under part of the wreckage and pulled people from the devastated passenger car which was left lying on its side with the Metrolink engine shoved back inside it. Two other cars in the Metrolink train remained upright. Firefighters worked to free victims more than two hours after the wreck.
Firefighters treated the injured at three triage areas near the wreck, and helicopters flew in and out of a nearby landing area on medical evacuation flights.
The trains collided at 4:32 p.m. in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley.
Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said the train left Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and was headed northwest to Moorpark in Ventura County. She couldn't confirm how many people were on the train, but said that in rush hours there would usually be about 350 people on board.
The federal investigation into the crash will be headed by the National Transportation Safety Board, said Steven Kulm, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration. The FRA will conduct a review of whether any federal rail safety regulations were violated, he said.
Asked about how the two trains ended up on the same track, Kulm said, "We are nowhere near having any information on that."
All Local TV channel programming has been preempted to cover the recent developments.
A Metrolink train and a freight train collided in Chatsworth today, causing several cars to derail and starting a blaze. KTTV-TV Channel 11 was reporting two fatalities. In the initial response, firefighters were making their way through a derailed passenger train looking for victims. TV footage showed firefighters pulling injured passengers and debris out of one overturned car. Fire crews said there were some injuries. Live video of train derailment in Chatsworth Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Armando Hogan told KABC-TV Channel 7 that it was too early to tell whether there were any fatalities. Hogan said more than 100 firefighters were taking part in the rescue and were trying to determine the number of victims. The Los Angeles Police Department called a tactical alert in the San Fernando Valley as officials assessed the situation.
In an earlier press release Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa just announced that as many as 10 to 15 people may have lost their life with 50 to 60 injuries or more.
The number of fatalities makes this the deadliest Metrolink crash in the history of the Los Angeles area's commuter railroad.
One of the fatalities is believed to be the Metrolink engineer. Another is a Los Angeles Police Department officer, according to authorities.
There are still passengers in the remaining cars that have not been released.
If you believe you have a family member who may have been on one of the trains involved in the collision, here's a Metrolink-provided number to call for information:
Metrolink Information Line:
800-371-5465
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