Beijing subway crash leaves 102 commuters with fracture bones
Hundreds of commuters were sent to the hospital with injuries, including fractured bones, after two Beijing metro trains collided during evening rush hour on a busy route amid snowy weather.
The crash took place at about 7pm local time on Thursday during the rush hour on the Changping subway line, which extends to the northwest of the Chinese capital.
A preliminary investigation by the Beijing municipal commission of transport revealed that the incident was triggered by a malfunction associated with signals and emergency braking due to adverse weather conditions.
Beijing has experienced snowstorms in the past few days and the inclement weather conditions have impacted transport, leading to delays throughout the city.
CCTV said that at about 11pm local time on Thursday “a total of 515 people were sent to the hospital for examination, of which 102 suffered fractures”.
It said that at 6am on Friday, 423 people had been discharged from the hospital. Sixty-seven are still undergoing treatment, while 25 remain under observation. The Chinese state media said that there were no fatalities recorded.
Beijing municipal commission of transport said in a statement that slippery tracks caused one train to make an emergency stop in the snow, leading to a collision with another train that was following closely behind.
“The latter train was in a downhill section, and the snowy weather caused it to slide and failed to brake effectively, causing a rear-end collision with the one in front,” the statement said.
The city’s subway operator said after a preliminary investigation that two end carriages had separated from one train, resulting in injuries to passengers.
“We sincerely apologise for the accident that occurred this evening,” Beijing Subway, the train’s operator, said on Weibo.
“Passengers who left the premises unaccompanied during the evacuation and who are not feeling well can contact us at any time. We will take on the cost of care.”
Beijing was under an orange alert for heavy snow and a yellow alert for icy roads on Thursday. China employs a four-tier weather warning system, where red signifies the most severe alert, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.
