CNN reports that two trains crashed on a popular metro line in Beijing on Thursday, sending hundreds of commuters—many of whom had damaged bones—to the hospital. The city’s transportation administration made the announcement.
The accident happened around 7 p.m. during rush hour on the Changping metro line, which runs northwest of Beijing. According to preliminary findings, it was caused by a problem connected to signal and emergency braking owing to weather circumstances, according to a statement issued by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport on Friday.
According to the statement, one train came to an emergency stop due to slippery tracks in the snow, and another following behind crashed into it. “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,” according to the report.
According to the organization, 515 persons were sent to the hospital for assessment, with 102 of them having fractures. According to the report, no one was killed in the incident.
According to the statement, 423 people had left the hospital as of 6 a.m. Friday.
The city’s subway operator said in a statement Thursday evening that two end carriages had separated from one train, hurting passengers.
Witness videos circulating on social media purported to show divided train cars. A passenger exclaimed in one video, “The subway train I took broke into two parts!”
The event occurred on an elevated portion of the subway. According to state media, the line conducts almost 400,000 passenger trips per weekday.
Beijing Transport apologized for the incident and stated that it would investigate and make any necessary changes to prevent similar events in the future.
The crash occurred while Beijing and northern China have been shivering in a cold snap and snowfall since Wednesday, affecting transportation and closing schools.
The city was under an orange alert for heavy snow and a yellow notice for slick roadways as of Thursday evening.
China has a four-tiered weather warning system, with red denoting the most severe alert and orange, yellow, and blue representing less severe alerts.