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Train collision leaves 30 injured

Published:Friday | September 30, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Emergency medical personnel wait for the arrival of passengers involved in a train collision, at the rail station in Charallave, outside of Caracas, Venezuela, yesterday. Passengers arrived via helicopter, locomotive, or on foot. Two commuter trains collided in a tunnel outside Caracas yesterday, killing at least one person, injuring about 30 and leaving frightened passengers gasping for air, officials said. - AP photos

 CHARALLAVE (AP):

Two commuter trains collided in a tunnel outside Caracas yesterday, killing at least one person, injuring about 30 and leaving frightened passengers gasping for air in the dark, officials said.

One train suddenly braked because of an apparent malfunction and another crashed into it from the rear, causing the first to derail, Transportation Minister Francisco Garces said on state television. Another train coming in the opposite direction was able to stop before colliding with the others.

The crash apparently cut power in the tunnel between Caracas and the suburbs of Los Valles del Tuy. Passengers "remained inside the wagons without air conditioning and within the tunnel," causing some to feel a sense of suffocation, said Victor Lira, civil defence director for Miranda State.