Passengers rescued from creek after commuter train derails in California
SUNOL, Calif. -- An Ace Train traveling from San Jose to Stockton derailed into an Alameda County creek Monday night. It was a chaotic scene with emergency rescuers breaking windows and jumping in the chilly water to rescue passengers.
There were more than 200 people on board the train. Nine people are injured and two of the victims remain hospitalized. All of the injured are expected to survive.
Crews stayed overnight to keep the scene protected. Today crews will try to move the train out of the area, but there is no estimate on how long that will take. All ACE Train service has been cancelled today and there is no timeline when it will resume.
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Officials say the train derailed because of a mudslide that sent a tree across the tracks. The accident happened at 7:30 p.m. Monday on the 5500 block of Niles Canyon Road. One of the train cars tumbled down an embankment into a rain filled creek and began to flood. Rescuers said you could hear screams over the radio.
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Many said the tracks sounded strange right before the crash, almost silent. The impact of the crash sent passengers flying inside the car, which derailed. "At that moment I realized something was wrong, so I held onto the rails and right then the train flipped over," passenger Jay Vijayen said.
Passengers who evacuated the train walked two miles down the tracks to a waiting area off Niles Canyon Road where they were given blankets while they waited for shuttle buses to pick them up.
