Four people were killed and 11 critically injured Sunday morning when a Metro North commuter train derailed in the Bronx, and it's possible that there are still passengers trapped under the overturned cars.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has authorized the use of a crane to right of the locomotive and the cars, Board Member Earl Weener said in a press conference this afternoon, to stop fuel leaking from the locomotive and "to look for any possible further injuries or fatalities."
Another spokesperson said the NTSB has no information on whether anyone is still trapped, but emergency responders and dogs searched the area Sunday morning.
Because there's no record of who takes the train, responders cannot be sure that everyone on board is accounted for.
The train derailed around 7:20 a.m. on a sharp curve near Spuyten Duyvil station. The speed limit for the turn is 30 mph, and the limit for the section of track preceding it is 70 mph. The train conductor said the trains air brakes failed when he tried to slow down, New York 1 reported.
In July, a freight train derailed in the same area. Weener said the NTSB will look for a connection between the accidents, but said there's nothing to indicate that one exists.
At the press conference, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said "it's not the fact that there's a curve here" that caused the accident. Since other trains regularly make the turn safely, he argued, there must be another cause. The MTA will look at the results of ths NTSB investigation, he added. "If there's a change the MTA can make, great."
An NTSB team will remain on the site to collect evidence for the next seven to ten days. It will likely allow the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the railroad, to begin repairs in the next few days.
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