Governor: 4 dead, 63 Hurt in NYC Train Derailment

(AP) Governor: 4 dead, 63 hurt in NYC train derailment
By VERENA DOBNIK and DEEPTI HAJELA
Associated Press
NEW YORK
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a Metro-North passenger train derailment in New York City has left four people dead and 63 injured.

Cuomo spoke Sunday morning at the scene of the crash in the Bronx. He says authorities believe everyone at the site has been accounted for and that the National Transportation Safety Board is en route.

Cuomo says the train operator is among the injured.

The crash was reported at 7:20 a.m. near the Spuyten Duyvil station. The southbound Hudson Line train from Poughkeepsie was headed to Grand Central Terminal.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says four or five cars on the seven-car train derailed about 100 yards north of the station on a curved section of the track. None of the cars entered the Hudson or Harlem rivers, which are adjacent to the tracks.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

A Metro-North train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries, authorities said.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Marjorie Anders confirmed the deaths but couldn’t give an exact number. She said the big curve where the derailment occurred is in a slow speed area approaching the Spuyten Duyvil station.

The black box should be able to tell how fast the train was traveling, Anders said.

The derailment of the southbound Hudson Line train was reported at about 7:20 a.m., authorities said. The train left Poughkeepsie at 5:54 a.m. and was due to arrive at 7:43 a.m. at Grand Central Terminal.

Four or five cars on the seven-car train derailed about 100 yards north of the station, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a news release. But none of the cars entered the Hudson or Harlem rivers, which are adjacent, the MTA said.

The train appeared to be going “a lot faster” than usual as it approached the curve coming into the station, passenger Frank Tatulli told WABC-TV.

Joel Zaritsky told The Associated Press he was on his way to New York City for a dental convention.

Passengers were taken off the derailed train, with dozens of them bloodied and scratched, holding ice packs to their heads.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared on the scene later Sunday morning. The Fire Department of New York said 130 firefighters responded to the derailment.

The crash was reported by the engineer, and it wasn’t clear if any crew members were among the injured, the MTA said.

Edwin Valero was in an apartment building above the accident scene when the train derailed. He said none of the cars entered the water, but at least one ended up a few feet from the edge.

At first, he said, he didn’t notice that the train had flipped over.

Amtrak Empire service was halted between New York City and Albany after the derailment. Amtrak said its Northeast Corridor service between Boston and Washington was unaffected.