People killed as three trains crash in Los Angeles

January 26, 2005

Ten people are dead and up to 200 injured after three trains crashed in Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Two passenger trains and a freight train carrying gravel collided at 6:05 a.m. local time during the morning rush hour. Both passenger trains were double-decker Metrolink trains, one northbound from Union Station, the other southbound. One train overturned, and the other caught fire.

The northbound train normally carries 30 to 50 passengers. The southbound train normally has 200 to 250 people on board.

Over 300 firefighters are attending the scene.

The chief of police of Glendale reported at a press conference that a man trying to commit suicide drove his car onto the train tracks, but apparently changed his mind and left the vehicle before the impact, leaving the vehicle on the tracks. The suspect was taken into custody by police officers who arrived at the scene of the accident and has, according to the police, already admitted driving the vehicle onto the tracks.