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103 injured in Long Island Rail Road derailment in Brooklyn

Long Island Rail Road train derails in Brooklyn
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Long Island Rail Road train derails in Brooklyn

A Long Island Rail Road train derailed during Wednesday morning's rush hour at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, injuring 103 people, authorities said.

The cause of the derailment was not known.

Around 8:30 a.m., the train from Far Rockaway struck and went over a bumper, which is intended to stop the train in an emergency. The wheels of the first car and one other axle derailed, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said at the scene, according to WNBC.

The National Transportation Safety Board said investigators were en route to the scene. CNBC has reached out to the FBI and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the LIRR, for comment.

The injuries were not considered life threatening, the New York Fire Department said. Victims were being transported to Brooklyn, Methodist and Kings County hospitals.

New York City's official emergency notification system reported transit delays and street closures near the station.


Pictures on Twitter showed the train was tipped slightly to the side.

LIRR tweet

Aaron D. Neufeld tweet

CoLab-Factory tweet

Atlantic Terminal, formerly the Flatbush Avenue station, is the westernmost stop on the LIRR's Atlantic Branch.

The LIRR is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, carrying an average of 301,000 customers each weekday. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including all holidays.

A passenger on the train described the crash to WNBC, saying she heard a loud boom, then train doors opened.

"I don't know, all I remember is being on the floor," she said.

The derailment came three months after a New Jersey Transit commuter train crashed into the Hoboken station, at a major transit hub for Manhattan, killing one person and injuring 108 including the engineer.