One Dead as Smoke Fills DC Metro Station

One commuter died from smoke inhalation on Monday as smoke filled the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station near the US Capital in Washington DC.

A total of 83 people were taken to the hospital after the Metro tunnel filled with smoke, shutting down the Green and Yellow lines in the nation’s capital.

The L’Enfant Plaza station, just south of the National Mall near the Smithsonian buildings, was shut down as the DC fire department looked for a fire. No fire was found, and as of Monday evening, authorities were still unable to say what caused the event.

One passenger reported that passengers were initially calm, but as the smoke grew, some began to panic.

“People started praying,” he said. “Smoke was coming in pretty steadily. Some people were fine and some people were just hurting pretty quickly.”

The commuter who died was not identified on Monday evening, pending notification of relatives but was reported to be a woman.

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