NTSB Investigating DC Subway Incident
One passenger died while dozens of others were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation in an incident in the nation's capital.
An electrical malfunction caused a Metro subway station in Washington, D.C., to fill with smoke, killing one woman and hospitalizing dozens of others. The National Transportation Safety Board has started to investigate what they consider to be an electrical arcing event. Investigator Michael Flanigon said the smoke started when something came into contact with the high-voltage third rail near the L'Enfant Plaza station in downtown Washington.
There was no fire during the incident, and what caused the smoke is still unknown. This is the first fatality on the Metro system since a 2009 crash killed eight passengers and a train operator; 84 people were taken to the hospital.
The Metrorail system carries an average of 721,000 passengers each weekday, connecting them to the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.