US train crash deaths confirmed

Authorities say seven people have been killed and 70 injured in a subway train collision in Washington DC. The city's mayor Adrian Fenty held a press conference where he revised an earlier reported death toll of nine. Carriages of one of the trains came to rest on top of the other after the collision near a station during evening rush hour, officials said. The female driver of the moving train - which crashed into the back of a stationary train - was among the dead. The crash - the worst in the 33 years of the Metro system - happened above ground between Fort Totten and Takoma at 1700 local time (2200 BST). Passenger Jodie Wickett told CNN she had been sitting on one of the six-car trains, sending text messages on her phone, when she felt the impact. She said: "From that point on, it happened so fast, I flew out of the seat and hit my head."Ms Wickett said she stayed at the scene and tried to help. She added: "People are just in very bad shape. The people that were hurt, the ones that could speak, were calling back as we called out to them. "Lots of people were upset and crying, but there were no screams." President Barack Obama said in a statement: "Michelle and I were saddened by the terrible accident in north-east Washington DC. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy. See a map of the crash site "I want to thank the brave first responders who arrived immediately to save lives." Washington fire chief Dennis Rubin said approximately 200 firefighters were at the scene of the accident. He said 76 people were treated at the scene and six of those were sent to hospital with critical injuries. 'Deadliest accident' He said the majority were walking wounded. The dead driver was named as Jeanice McMillan, 42, by the Associated Press (AP) and the Washington Post. Mr Fenty described it as "the deadliest accident in the history of our Metro train transit system". Survivors of the crash describe the accident BBC correspondent Richard Lister said it was possible people were still trapped in the lower of the two train carriages. During the press conference, Mr Rubin said a large crane had been used to separate mangled pieces of wreckage so that rescuers could search for injured or dead. Mr Rubin had earlier said parts of that carriage were 70 to 80% compressed, and that rescuers did not know if there were still more bodies to be found. A thorough search of the sidings and surrounding woodland had been made, he said. The general manager of the Washington subway, John Catoe, said the crash had happened as one train waited for another to clear a station ahead. He said: "The next train came up behind [the waiting train] and, for reasons we do not know, ploughed into the back. "We are committed to investigate this accident until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again." Both trains involved in the collision were heading in the direction of Washington rather than to the city's outlying areas. This meant the trains were likely to have had fewer people on them, AP quoted Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). 'Older train' Investigators were trying to find recorders which would have details of the train's speed at the time of the crash and other information which could explain how the accident happened. She also said the train which had crashed was part of a fleet of older carriages which transport chiefs had recommended be either replaced or retrofitted, AP reported. Passenger Abra Jeffers, 25, told the AFP news agency: "I was on the train that got hit. I thought it was an explosion. I thought it was like the train bombings in London. There was smoke and dust everywhere." Fellow passenger Theroza Doshi told the Reuters news agency: "It just happened. There was no slowing down of the train, just a jerk." Our correspondent added the accident had happened at the peak of rush hour, on what is a popular and busy commuter line. The accident is the Metro network's first crash with a passenger fatality since 1982 when three people were killed in a derailment.