TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Beijing subway train collision that occurred on Thursday (Dec. 14) injured over 500 people, with emergency braking due to heavy snow blamed for the accident.
Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport on Friday (Dec. 15) said that 515 were sent to the hospital after the accident, which occurred during rush hour. Of the more than 500 who were sent to the hospital, 102 suffered broken bones, but there were no deaths reported.
At 6:57 p.m. on Thursday, a subway train on the West Changping Line near Xi’erqi Station suddenly deployed its emergency brakes. However, a train coming from behind collided with the front train, causing two carriages to become detached.
As of 6 a.m. Friday morning, of the 515 passengers who were sent to the hospital, 102 were found to have suffered fractures. Thus far, 423 of the passengers have been discharged from the hospital, 25 are under observation, and 67 are still hospitalized for treatment, but there were no reports of deaths.
According to a preliminary investigation, the tracks had become slippery due to ice and had degraded the signal, triggering the front train's emergency brakes to deploy automatically. However, the trailing train, which was on a downhill slope was unable to deploy its brakes in time to avoid a collision.
The city government of Beijing has established an investigation team. It will be tasked with "further investigating the cause of the accident, assessing emergency response efforts, learning profound lessons from the incident, holding individuals responsible, and effectively carrying out corrective measures."
Videos have surfaced on Chinese social media showing passengers trying to make their way off the huge gap between the separated carriages in the slippery conditions. Other videos show injured passengers, shattered windows, and mangled metal in the subway carriages.
Dec 14 evening: a train car of Beijing subway’s Changping Line (昌平线) broke apart… pic.twitter.com/bfvgLpsiND
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) December 14, 2023
More videos and pictures about the accident of the Beijing subway.pic.twitter.com/eoYJAJz6mm
— Open Resources Translation (@anonsuoi) December 14, 2023