At Least 24 Injured After 2 N.Y.C. Subway Trains Collide: ‘Nobody Was Seriously Injured’

At least 24 people were injured after two subway trains collided on New York’s Upper West Side Thursday afternoon.

Around 3 p.m. near West 96th Street and Broadway, a train carrying about 300 people collided with a commuter train carrying four transit workers. The collision caused the work train to derail, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority conference broadcast live.

During a news conference, Chief Michael Kemper of the NYPD Transit Division said a civilian reported the collision to two officers on the scene who were in the “mezzanine” of the 96th Street Station.

They discovered that the two trains were next to each other and halfway through the tunnel. The officers then called for EMS, the Fire Department of New York and additional NYPD officers, who then arrived to assist in the evacuation.

A subway train in New York has derailed.

NYC/ X Emergency Management

Three dead after Amtrak train collides with truck in Missouri: ‘It happened like slow motion’

Both were northbound 1 trains. After the derailment, trains 1 and 3 were suspended, while 2 trains were rerouted, according to the MTA website.

Along with the affected trains, another train behind the consumer train was evacuated, and an additional 300-400 passengers were removed, New York City Transit President Richard Davey said.

During the evacuation, passengers were checked for injuries and those with serious injuries were taken to hospitals, said FDNY Assistant Chief Ian Swords.

“Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. The injuries sustained were consistent with a train derailment at low speed, and all of these patients were transported to area hospitals,” said Chief Swords.

A subway train in New York has derailed.

NYC/ X Emergency Management

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Authorities said the accident was not due to equipment failure. “It is obvious that two trains should not collide. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Davey said during a press conference.

But he said MTA officials were aware that the work train had been previously damaged. “A number of emergency cables were pulled by someone earlier and they were able to reset all but one of them and that was the reason why that train was still stuck in the station. He had midsection surgery,” Davey said.

A subway train in New York has derailed.

NYC/ X Emergency Management

In the collision of subway trains in Mexico City, 1 person died, 57 were injured, including the conductor

He went on to share that he “hopes” the service will be “back up and running” for Friday rush hour, but “can’t guarantee” that. He explained that crews will be working at the station throughout the night in an effort to resume operations.

Ahead of the live press conference, New York City Emergency Management confirmed by X (formerly known as Twitter) that “operations and investigations are actively underway regarding the subway derailment at 96th St & Bway.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education