Official: Broken rail eyed in Conn. train crash

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The commuter train derailment and collision that left dozens injured outside New York City was not the result of foul play, officials said Saturday, but a fractured section of rail is being studied to determine if it is connected to the accident.

National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said Saturday the broken rail is of substantial interest to investigators and a portion of the track will be sent to a lab for analysis.

Weener said it's not clear if the accident caused the fracture or if the rail was broken before the crash. He said he won't speculate on the cause of the derailment and emphasized the investigation was in its early stages.

Seventy-two people were sent to the hospital Friday evening after a Metro-North train heading east from New York City derailed and was hit by a train heading west from New Haven. Most have been discharged.

Officials earlier described devastating damage and said it was fortunate no one was killed.

"All of the injured people described the really harrowing experience of having the train jolt to a stop, the dust, darkness, other kinds of factors that made it particularly frightening," said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who visited several patients in the hospital.

Blumenthal said a Metro-North conductor helped passengers despite her own injuries.

"Her story is really one of great strength and courage helping other passengers off the train in spite of her own very severe pain," Blumenthal said. "She eventually had to be helped off herself."

The crash damaged the tracks and threatened to snarl travel in the Northeast Corridor. The crash also caused Amtrak to suspend service between New York and Boston.

"The damage is absolutely staggering," Blumenthal said, describing the shattered interior of cars and tons of metal tossed around. "I feel that we are fortunate that even more injuries were not the result of this very tragic and unfortunate accident."

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said it was "frankly amazing" people weren't killed on scene.

Both said new Metro-North Railroad cars built with higher standards may have saved lives.

Metro-North said train service will remain suspended between South Norwalk and New Haven until further notice. Railroad officials said rebuilding the two tracks and restore train service "will take well into next week."

"We want our customers to know that while you travel on Metro-North, you can remain confident that your safety, and the safety of our employees, is always the first priority in everything we do," said Howard Permut, President of MTA Metro-North Railroad.

NTSB investigators arrived Saturday and are expected to be on site for seven to 10 days. They will look at the brakes and performance of the trains, the condition of the tracks, crew performance and train signal information, among other things.

When the NTSB has concluded the on-site phase of its investigation, Metro-North will begin to remove the damaged rail cars and remaining debris. The process requires specialized, heavy equipment that will be in place by Sunday, officials said. Only after the damaged train cars have been removed can Metro-North begin the work of rebuilding the damaged tracks and overhead wires.

"It is a significant undertaking that could take days to complete," MTA said in a statement.

The NTSB has allowed Metro-North to begin removing some of the track and wire from the scene.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said commuters should make plans for alternative travel through the area and urged them to consult the state Department of Transportation website for information.

Weener said data recorders on board are expected to provide the speed of the trains at the time of the crash and other information.

"Our mission is to understand not just what happened but why it happened and determine ways of preventing it from happening again," Weener said.

About 700 people were on board the Metro-North trains when one heading east from New York City's Grand Central Terminal to New Haven derailed at about 6:10 p.m. just outside Bridgeport, transit and Bridgeport officials said. Passengers described a chaotic, terrifying scene of crunching metal and flying bodies.

A spokeswoman for St. Vincent Medical Center said late Saturday that 46 people from the crash were treated there, with six of them admitted. All were in stable condition, she said.

A Bridgeport Hospital spokesman said 26 people from the crash were treated there, with three of them admitted. One was in critical condition and two were in stable condition, he said. The other 23 were released.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said the disruption caused by the crash could cost the region's economy millions of dollars.

Passenger Frank Bilotti said he was returning from a business trip in Boston on the westbound train when it crashed.

"Everybody was pretty much tossed around," said Bilotti, 53, of Westport, who wasn't injured other than a sore neck.

Firefighters used ladders to help people evacuate after the derailed cars dug into the banks of the tracks, Bilotti said.

"There were people on stretchers," he said. "There were people lying on the ground."

Blumenthal credited first responders, saying their "quick reactions and heroic efforts undoubtedly saved lives."

The MTA operates the Metro-North Railroad, the second-largest commuter railroad in the nation. The Metro-North main lines — the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven — run northward from New York City's Grand Central Terminal into suburban New York and Connecticut.

At Grand Central, Frances Liu and her family were trying to get to New Haven, where Liu is graduating from Yale. A train could get them only as far north as Stamford.

"And then we'll rent a car and drive," she said.

Liu's parents had flown in from China for her graduation and were touring the country around her commencement. But the car-rental plan could face a snag — Liu never got a driver's license, although her parents had their Chinese licenses.

"My mom can drive. So I hope it'll be OK!" Liu said as she rushed off to decide on a train.

The last significant train collision involving Metro-North occurred in 1988 when a train engineer was killed in Mount Vernon, N.Y., when one train empty of passengers rear-ended another, railroad officials said.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn., Susan Haigh in Fairfield, Conn., and Verena Dobnik in New York City contributed to this report.

Via Yahoo News!

Ten feared dead in India train crash

13 cars derail in Uttar Pradesh state, a spokesman saysIndia's large rail network has a poor safety record

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- At least 10 people were feared dead and 50 others injured as a train jumped tracks in northern India Sunday, authorities said.

"It's a rough figure. We are awaiting more details," Indian railway spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena told CNN.

He said 13 cars of the Kalka Mail train derailed in Uttar Pradesh state at 12:20 p.m.

India's massive rail network, used by hundreds of thousands of passengers daily, has a poor safety record.

On Thursday, more than 30 people were killed when a train collided with a bus trying to cross an unguarded railroad, also in Uttar Pradesh. The victims were all bus passengers.

Official figures show 100 train accidents occurred in India in the 2009-10 fiscal year and 115 in 2008-09.

CNN

Snakes on a train: Vietnam on alert

Snakes are protected by law in Vietnam.Four bags of venomous cobras are found on a train bound for Hanoi, local press reports sayThey cause a panic among passengersThe reptiles are handed over to a forest protection agency and releasedAuthorities increase patrols searching for animal smugglers

(CNN) -- Vietnamese authorities are on alert for animal smugglers after four bags of deadly snakes were found on a train from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, according to local press reports.

The bags contained an undetermined number of snakes including some king cobras, the on-line news service VnExpress reported.

A guard and a conductor found them while inspecting the train when it made a stop at Quang Ngai railway station on Thursday, the website reported. The guard and conductor were not injured.

Passengers panicked when they heard about the snakes, VnExpress said.

The snakes, which are protected by law in Vietnam, were handed over to the Quang Ngai forest protection agency on Friday and released into the wild.

Some of the snakes weighed more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) each, said Nguyen Van Han, chief of the forest protection unit.

Officials in Quang Ngai will increase patrols and inspection the North-South railway, roads and restaurants to prevent the smuggling of wild animals, according toTuoitrenews, an online publication of a Vietnamese newspaper.

The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake with a length up to 13 feet (4 meters) according to New York's Bronx Zoo, which had an Egyptian cobra escape earlier this year. That cobra was found in the zoo's reptile house a week after it escaped from its enclosure.

CNN Top Stories

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

2 border agents killed in collision with train

Border Patrol Agents Hector Clark, left, and Eduardo Rojas Jr. died Thursday just south of Gila Bend, Arizona.NEW: The Border Patrol says the agents' vehicle was struck by a 90-car freight trainNEW: Both agents had been working with the Border Patrol for about a decadeHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says authorities are investigatingThe agents were assisting in the apprehension of suspected illegal immigrants

(CNN) -- Two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were assisting in the apprehension of suspected illegal immigrants were killed Thursday when their vehicle was struck by a train, officials said.

They were driving an unmarked Border Patrol vehicle when it was struck by a 90-car freight train at a crossing about nine miles west of Gila Bend, Arizona, the agency said.

Authorities were investigating what caused the accident that killed Border Patrol Agents Eduardo Rojas Jr. and Hector Clark, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

The vehicle, an SUV, was struck by the train at the rail crossing of Paloma Road near exit 106 of Interstate 8.

"This is unfortunate not just for me, not just for the Yuma Sector, but for the Border Patrol as a whole," Border Patrol spokesman Kenneth Quillin said.

The agents were on duty and were assisting other officers in tracking down a group of people suspected to have entered the country illegally, Quillin said. The agents were trying to position themselves north of where the other agents were, he said.

Both Clark, 39, and Rojas, 35, were lead agents in the Border Patrol's Yuma Sector, the agency said.

Rojas, who had been working with the patrol for more than 11 years, is survived by his wife and two children. Clark, who had been working with the patrol for nearly 10 years, also is survived by his wife and two children.

"This tragedy is a reminder to all of us that whether they are facing down a criminal suspect with a weapon, or patrolling the highways and deserts, these law enforcement professionals encounter life-threatening dangers every day," Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said.

Napolitano noted the service of others as she expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

"We also keep in our thoughts and prayers all of those who put their lives at risk every day, at home and abroad, to defend our country. We honor their service and pray for their continued safety," she said.

On Friday, a Mexican man was arraigned in a U.S. federal court for the killing last December of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona.

CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

CNN

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

2 border agents killed in collision with train

Border Patrol Agents Hector Clark, left, and Eduardo Rojas Jr. died Thursday just south of Gila Bend, Arizona.NEW: The Border Patrol says the agents' vehicle was struck by a 90-car freight trainNEW: Both agents had been working with the Border Patrol for about a decadeHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says authorities are investigatingThe agents were assisting in the apprehension of suspected illegal immigrants

(CNN) -- Two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were assisting in the apprehension of suspected illegal immigrants were killed Thursday when their vehicle was struck by a train, officials said.

They were driving an unmarked Border Patrol vehicle when it was struck by a 90-car freight train at a crossing about nine miles west of Gila Bend, Arizona, the agency said.

Authorities were investigating what caused the accident that killed Border Patrol Agents Eduardo Rojas Jr. and Hector Clark, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

The vehicle, an SUV, was struck by the train at the rail crossing of Paloma Road near exit 106 of Interstate 8.

"This is unfortunate not just for me, not just for the Yuma Sector, but for the Border Patrol as a whole," Border Patrol spokesman Kenneth Quillin said.

The agents were on duty and were assisting other officers in tracking down a group of people suspected to have entered the country illegally, Quillin said. The agents were trying to position themselves north of where the other agents were, he said.

Both Clark, 39, and Rojas, 35, were lead agents in the Border Patrol's Yuma Sector, the agency said.

Rojas, who had been working with the patrol for more than 11 years, is survived by his wife and two children. Clark, who had been working with the patrol for nearly 10 years, also is survived by his wife and two children.

"This tragedy is a reminder to all of us that whether they are facing down a criminal suspect with a weapon, or patrolling the highways and deserts, these law enforcement professionals encounter life-threatening dangers every day," Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said.

Napolitano noted the service of others as she expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

"We also keep in our thoughts and prayers all of those who put their lives at risk every day, at home and abroad, to defend our country. We honor their service and pray for their continued safety," she said.

On Friday, a Mexican man was arraigned in a U.S. federal court for the killing last December of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in Arizona.

CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

CNN

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

German train evacuated over terrorism scare

BERLIN (AP) — German police say 250 passengers were evacuated from a high speed train as authorities feared a possible terror attack.

Stuttgart Federal Police spokesman Steffen Zaiser said Friday there was "sufficient threatening evidence" to fear an attack on the train from Berlin, bound for Interlaken, Switzerland.

He said police and sniffer dogs searched the entire Inter City Express train near the southwestern city of Freiburg around midday, but did not find explosives or any other dangerous material.

Zaiser declined to elaborate on the reasons for the search, citing the ongoing investigation. The DAPD news agency cited a police source as saying that a CD-ROM found on the train pointed to an Islamic terrorist link.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

USATODAY.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Italy to send military instructors to train Libyan rebels

Update at 11:14 a.m. ET: National Transition Council spokesman Mustafa Gheirani says the military advisers will be a big help since the rebels lack the organization necessary to take on Gadhafi's forces, The Associated Press reports.
"My understanding is that it will all be administrative help, nothing with weapons and nothing in the field," Gheirani says.

See Libya photo gallery here.

The announcements regading military advisers came after a representative of the rebels' transitional government met with French and Italian leaders.

Update at 9:43 a.m. ET: Reuters has a slightly different story on reports that Italian military instructors will be going to Libya. The news agency quotes the Italian defense minister as saying Italy may send 10 military trainers to Libya, but the time, place and specialization remain to be determined.

Earlier posting: Italy announced today that it is sending military instructors to train rebels in Libya, one day after Britain announced the dispatch of 20 military advisers.

At the same time, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says France will intensify its airstrikes in Libya at the request of opposition forces, the Associated Press reports.

France's Foreign Ministry says that it already has military liaison officers on the ground in the rebel-held city of Benghazi. The officers are trying to help the rebels organize and bolster the NATO air campaign that has failed to rout Moammar Gadhafi's military.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday that the 20 military officers Britain is sending will help the rebels in such areas as communications, organizational structures and humanitarian aid and would not assist their attacks on forces loyal to Gadhafi.

See photos of: Nicolas SarkozyTags:Nicolas SarkozyWilliam Hague .div-wrapper

View the Original article

Deal needed to avoid spending train wreck

Associated Press

Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet

WASHINGTON –  Political ideologies and government spending realities are speeding trains headed toward a nasty crash in Washington this week barring a compromise between Republicans in the House and Senate Democrats aligned with President Barack Obama in the battle to contain America's soaring debt.

Failure to reach a deal for the rest of this budget year, which ends on Sept. 30, could lead to a partial shutdown of the government when spending authority expires at midnight on Friday. It is unclear which side would absorb public blame and anger for such a dramatic turn of events. But there was likely to be political damage, and mainstream members of both parties say they want to avoid a shutdown.

At issue are cuts to so-called discretionary programs, the cost of running various government agencies that use only 12 percent of the federal budget.

Republicans took control of the House in a landslide last November with much of their success built around tea-party-aligned candidates elected on the promise of lower taxes, less spending and smaller government. Nearly six weeks ago, the House passed a bill calling for $61 billion in cuts in discretionary spending for the remainder of the year.

The Senate, which also must approve such a measure, never took it up.

Instead both houses of Congress have passed two short-term spending laws to keep government open while cutting $10 billion out of this year's budget. That appropriation runs out Friday. Late last week, Obama said that compromise was close with Republicans on $33 billion in cuts, and he warned that without a deal the ensuing government shutdown would "jeopardize our economic recovery" just as jobs are finally being created.

There are indications the $33 billion figure may truly be in play, with sufficient votes lined up among mainstream House Republicans and Democrats. But House Speaker John Boehner is denying a deal is in the works, apparently fearing he would alienate the Republican tea party conference and damage party solidarity in advance of the coming 2012 presidential election. Many of the 87 new Republican House members say they will not go for a compromise.

What's more, the huge political divisions may only harden on Tuesday when Republicans reveal their plans to further slash government outlays for the next fiscal year, a spending outline that was expected to call for profound changes in funding for U.S. social safety net programs, particularly government-funded health care for the elderly and the poor.

Those programs, known as Medicare and Medicaid, along with Social Security pension benefits and defense spending consume the vast majority of government spending. None of them is under consideration in the current battle over cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year, even though a special Obama commission on the debt has recommended dramatic changes in all that spending and in the American tax laws.

Obama has said little about the commission recommendations and sought to remain publicly above the fray, instead focusing his message on repairing the recession-ravaged economy and reducing unemployment.

He weighed in, however, after good news on the jobs front last Friday.

"Given the encouraging news we received today on jobs, it would be the height of irresponsibility to halt our economic momentum because of the same old Washington politics," he said.

"It can't be 'my way or the highway politics,'" said the president. "We know that a compromise is within reach. And we also know that if these budget negotiations break down, it could shut down the government and jeopardize our economic recovery."

Shortly before Obama spoke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shifted the Democrats' position on one key element of the talks, in apparent deference to environmentalists angered by an earlier concession.

House Republicans included provisions in their $61 billion package of spending cuts that would block the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing regulations on a variety of industries that would cut emissions of climate changing greenhouse gases.

"Neither the White House or the Senate leaders is going to accept any EPA riders," he said in a conference call with reporters.

The spending conflict also is playing out under the shadow of the upcoming requirement for Congress to vote on increasing the amount of money the government can borrow. Democrats cannot increase the debt ceiling without Republican support in both the Senate and House. The Treasury Department estimates the government will hit the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling sometime between April 15 and May 31. The administration has warned Congress that failing to raise the debt limit would lead to an unprecedented default on the national debt.

This pivotal week will test congressional abilities to compromise on a plan that moves some distance toward reducing deficit spending. Republicans warn the practice is leading toward the decline of American power and influence, and Democrats argue that cuts cannot be too Draconian in the face of a weak economic recovery and the needs of middle- and lower-income Americans.

Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet View ArticleLeave a CommentSort: NewestSort: Oldest Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. You must login to comment.

View Article

View All Comments

Latest VideosMore »

View the Original article