China: Hundreds injured in Beijing subway as 2 trains collide

When two metro trains collided in this snowy Chinese city, 515 people were transported to the hospital, including 102 who had fractured bones, according to police on Friday.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport stated in a statement on Friday that the accident happened when the leading train’s emergency braking due to slick tracks caused the back train, which was coming from a downhill part, to slide and not brake properly, culminating in a collision.

The incident happened on Thursday night on an above-ground section of the Changping line, which serves the northern part of the city, which includes the Ming Tombs and the high-tech hub of Xierqi, in the city’s hilly west.

According to a Friday report from the state-run Xinhua news agency, 515 individuals were sent to the hospital following the accident for assessment, and 102 of them were determined to have fractures. It also said that there were no official deaths from the collision.

Officials are confirming whether any foreigners were among the injured, according to spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning.

According to the Municipal Commission, as of Friday, 423 patients had been discharged from the hospital, 25 were receiving medical supervision, and 67 remained in the hospital. A team dedicated to investigating the accident’s cause and assessing the emergency response had been assembled.

With 27 lines and over 13 million people each, the Chinese capital takes great satisfaction in operating the busiest metro system in the world. During peak hours, metro trains run in intervals of roughly one minute.

Because of the severe snowstorms that have been plaguing the city and northern China since Monday, the government has recommended commuters to use public transit, which has resulted in heavy rush hour on the underground trains for the last three days.

When schools and outdoor entertainment venues are closed, the city’s people are recommended by the local authorities to stay indoors.

For hundreds of passengers in both trains, the tragedy was a nightmare come true. Videos uploaded to social media showed people writhing in agony from their wounds, while others tried to get free through the damaged remains of the metro trains.

Injuries to the head and eyes were also recorded, along with fractures, according to the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong.

According to the subway authorities, there were unexpected stops for certain trains and delays for others due to a power outage on a portion of the conductor rail. The source of the power outage is still unknown.

In order to ensure that everyone has a warm and secure winter, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out emergency response operations.

He called on the departments and regions in question to assume their duties and take thorough preventative action.

The disaster site was inspected by Beijing Communist Party Secretary Yin Li and the mayor of the city, Ying Yong, who also verified that the subway’s emergency procedures and functioning were up to par.

In order to monitor transportation around the city, Yin also paid visits to injured passengers at Jishuitan Hospital and the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.

According to the report, he emphasised the need for more train and bus services to ensure that people could get home during the severe weather.

On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the Beijing Subway issued an apology. It stated that guests who had departed on their own during the evacuation might get in touch with the authorities and that they would be compensated for any medical costs they incurred.

Beijing was under an orange alert for heavy snow and a yellow alert for slick roads on Thursday night.

The four-tiered weather warning system in China is as follows: orange, yellow, blue, and red, which denotes the most severe alarm.

(With agency inputs)