Train derails in Chicago

2005-09-17 20:23

Chicago - At least one person was killed and dozens were injured after a commuter train derailed on Saturday morning on Chicago's South Side, officials said.

The five-car Metra train was travelling from Joliet to Chicago when the derailment occurred around 08:30, authorities said. About 125 passengers were on board.

Seventy-six people were injured, said Monique Bond, a spokesperson for the office of emergency management. Some of those injured were in critical condition, said fire department spokesperson Larry Langford.

Stephanie Smith, who was sitting in the second car in the upper tier, said she heard brakes screeching, then the train came to a halt.

"I just went flying into the safety seat bar and fell to the ground," Smith, a master's student at DePaul University, told the Chicago Tribune.

"We were skidding out of control. Weaving back and forth. People were weeping and screaming."

Dozens of emergency vehicles and two helicopters were at the scene. Fire-fighters were raising ladders to the elevated track. There was a nine-metre gap between two rail cars, and several broken windows.

Federal authorities were investigating the cause of the derailment, Bond said.

- AP