Lawrence K.Ho/Los Angeles Times
UPDATE: Federal investigators are on the scene in Chatsworth today searching for evidence to the cause of the train collision. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the probe. NTSB spokesperson Kitty Higgins says the agency plans “… to look at everything.”
Also, the clean up of the site continues. Sunday 2:43 p.m.
Ken Hively/ Los Angeles Times
UPDATE: A day of mourning. Today flowers, messages, and balloons are being left along the train tracks in Chatsworth near where that terrible collision happened on Friday. Sunday 9:38 a.m.
UPDATE: KCBS-2 TV is reporting that the Metrolink engineer may have been text messaging shortly before the commuter train collided with a freight train. 5:18 p.m.
UPDATE: The death toll now stands at 25, among the fatalities LAPD off-duty officer Spree Desha, a seven-year veteran of the force. Also, the search for victims at the crash scene has ended. 4:16 p.m.
UPDATE: 24 confirmed dead. 1:56 p.m.
UPDATE: 23 confirmed dead. 1:08 p.m.
UPDATE: Metrolink spokesperson Denise Tyrrell just said at a news conference on KNX 1070 newsradio “… our preliminary investigation … Metrolink engineer that failed to stop for a red signal.” Tyrrell went on to say “…it was a Metrolink engineer who made the error ..” that caused yesterday’s train crash. 11:45 a.m.
The grim work continued today at the scene of that devastating train collision in Chatsworth. 18 people are confirmed dead, around 135 were injured, and reportedly 81 victims are being treated at hospitals throughout Los Angeles County.
A Metrolink train slammed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train on a bend of a single track at around 4:20 p.m. yesterday. There were reportedly 225 people on the commuter train.
Search and rescue teams spent the night carefully going through the wreckage looking for survivors. Officials expect the death toll to go higher. At a news conference last night, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said “… this is a human tragedy beyond words.”
After a meeting of the Metrolink board this morning, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich was interviewed on KNX 1070 news radio. Supervisor Antonovich said there was either “… mechanical failure or human error.” The National Transportation Safety Board has taken the lead in the investigation.
This is reportedly the deadliest train crash in the country in more than a decade. Also, the worst in Metrolink history, which goes back to 1992.
KNX 1070 newsradio is continuing its special coverage today. The Los Angeles Times website has incredible photos (some of which you see here) and stories about the disastrous train crash.
I will be updating this post throughout the weekend.
Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times
Lawrence K.Ho/Los Angeles Times
