Four Reported Dead in Washington D.C. Train Crash (VIDEO)

Officials say the fatality is the second in Metrorail’s 33-year history.

Photo of crashed trains: YouTube

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Officials in the nation's capitol city say two six-car Red Line trains collided at 5:00 p.m. today, resulting in two fatalities.

One of the people who died is the female train operator. There were also several injuries, many serious, according to preliminary reports.

“We are extremely saddened that there are fatalities as a result of this accident, which has touched our Metro family. We hope to have more details about the casualties later today. Our safety officials are investigating, and will continue to investigate until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again,” Metro General Manager John Catoe said.

Metro officials do not know the cause of the collision and are not likely to know the cause for several days as the investigation unfolds.

Both trains were on the same track headed toward Shady Grove Metrorail station, according to preliminary reports. The female operator was on the trailing train.

Metro officials advise that people avoid the Red Line the remainder of the day. Trains are operating between Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations for the remainder of the day. (Please note that this is a change in locations.)

Shuttle buses are operating between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations to help customers get around the incident.

Emergency officials remain at the scene.

Officials with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, say the only other time in Metrorail’s 33-year history that there were customer fatalities was in January 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment between the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian Metrorail stations.

The only other time that Metrorail had a collision was in 2004 when two trains collided at the Woodley Park/Zoo-Adams Morgan Metrorail station, in which there were some minor injuries.

Special thanks to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

This is raw video from The Associated Press of the train crash in Washington:

Video

Here is video from The Associated Press with Metro General Manager John Catoe, discussing the crash of two commuter trains in Washington, D.C.:

In this video from The Associated Press, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty comments on the deadly crash of two Metro commuter trains: