Two commuter trains collide, derail in Connecticut

NEW YORK -- Two commuter trains collided in Connecticut during rush hour Friday after a Manhattan-bound train derailed and hit the second train, officials said.

Some cars of the second train also derailed in the incident near Fairfield, about 50 miles north of New York City.

Both trains were from the Metro-North Railroad, which did not give any information about casualties. The incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m.

The Associated Press, quoting Fairfield police, reported that 20 to 25 people were injured. No fatalities were reported.

The New Haven Register quoted Rob Oliver of New Haven, Conn., as saying that his train car filled with smoke just after the collision.

Emergency doors opened and people began leaving the train, said Oliver, who was heading home from his job in Manhattan.

“It was just a crazy scene,” he told the newspaper. “It was definitely a crash. People were thrown. The crew did a good job getting people toward the exits.”

Initial reports indicated that a train headed for Manhattan from New Haven derailed near the Fairfield station, hitting a train on an adjacent track and causing some of that train’s cars to leave the track.

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tina.susman@latimes.com