NBC News and news services
updated 6 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Authorities say a six-car commuter train has collided with another train near the Washington and Maryland border, killing at least two people and injuring dozens more.
Washington Metro Area Transit Authority spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein reported two confirmed fatalities on MSNBC TV.
D.C. fire spokesman Alan Etter said the scene was developing into a "mass casualty event." He says crews are cutting apart the trains to get people out. He says there are severe injuries, but no indication how many.
As many as 55 people were injured, NBC affiliate WRC-TV reported.
Spokeswoman Taryn McNeil says the collision happened about 5 p.m. between the Fort Totten and Takoma Park stations on Metro's Red line.
The accident left one train partially on top of another and some passengers were believed to be trapped in the wreckage, WRC reported.
Monday's derailment comes more than two years after a subway train derailed near downtown Washington, sending 20 people to the hospital and prompting the rescue of 60 people from a tunnel.
The National Transportation Safety Board was preparing to send a team of investigators to the crash site, NBC News reported.
Officials said it was too early to determine what caused the crash.
Metro general manager John Catoe said at least 60 people had been taken off the trains.
"I don't know the reason for this accident," he said. "I would still say the system is safe, but we've had an incident."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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