A commuter train plowed into a platform inside New Jersey Transit's Hoboken terminal during the Thursday morning commute, killing at least three people and injuring more than 75, officials said.
Witnesses reported seeing bruised and bloodied passengers, including one woman pinned underneath concrete, after the crash occurred just before 9 a.m. ET inside the busy station.
The Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark and the Jersey City Medical Center confirmed the fatalities and between 75 to 100 injuries.
The Hoboken terminal, located across the river from Lower Manhattan, is one of the busiest in the greater New York City area, with an estimated 50,000 commuters passing through every day. The trains do not have seat belts.
Photos taken from the scene and posted on social media showed major damage to the more than century-old station, with part of its roof collapsed and mangled steel and shattered glass on the ground.
The train originated from Spring Valley, New York, on the Pascack Valley line and was expected to arrive in Hoboken at 8:38 a.m. The accident occurred at 8:45 a.m. on track five, a New Jersey Transit spokeswoman said.
A passenger, Bhagyesh Shah, said he was standing in the back of the second train car when it smashed through the platform and hit a couple of pillars, which caused the ceiling to rain down.
"It was for a couple seconds, but it felt like an eternity," Shah said. "I saw a woman pinned under the concrete. A lot of people were bleeding, one guy was crying."
Shah said the passengers in the second car broke the emergency windows to get out.
He added that the train, which had come from the Secaucus Junction station, was crowded — especially in the first and second cars because they give the easiest access to the terminal.
Another passenger, Steve Mesiano, told MSNBC that the crash sounded like a "huge, huge bang, and the lights went off." He was in the second train car, and said he saw the roof of the first car collapse.
When he got out, Mesiano saw bloodied passengers everywhere.
"There was blood on the floor," he said.
Nancy Bido, who was sitting in the middle of the train, told NBC New York that it felt like they were "going really too fast." She hit her head on the person in front of her as the train lurched forward.
"Everybody was pretty shaken up and upset," said Bido, adding that she was waiting to be taken to one of three hospitals in the area treating people.
Rail and PATH service in Hoboken was immediately suspended, and the National Safety Transportation Board told NBC News it was gathering information.
While the investigation is in its preliminary stages, there was no initial sign of terrorism or that it was a deliberate act, two local law enforcement officials said.
Source: Nbcnews
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