Workers assess the damage after a train collided with a snow plow in Chicago (Picture: Chicago Fire Department)
At least 38 people were injured after a commuter train in Chicago crashed into a snow plow, authorities said.
A Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Yellow Line train crashed around 10.35am on Thursday morning. The train was headed southbound from the suburb of Skokie, Illinois toward the north Chicago neighborhood of Rogers Park.
The CTA said the train made ‘contact with rail equipment in the Howard Rail Yard.’ They later determined that the rail equipment was a snow plow train.
At least 23 people were hospitalized due to injuries from the crash. Three of those victims were listed in critical condition.
Firefighters and paramedics rescue victims from the train crash (Picture: AP)
Victims are treated on tarps during triage at the Howard Rail Yard in Chicago (Picture: AP)
Another 15 people suffered minor injuries but refused treatment at the scene.
The complicated crash site required a difficult operation to extract
‘We chained down all the tracks, made sure the power was off, evacuated the civilians to EMS,’ Fire Department District Chief Robert Jurewicz told reporters at the scene.
At least 15 ambulances were dispatched to the train yard. Paramedics could be seen triaging the injured victims below the train tracks.
A victim is transported out of the train yard by Chicago firefighters (Picture: AP)
A total of 31 of the injured were civilians, while seven were identified as CTA personnel.
‘Terrible news out of Chicago this afternoon,’ Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. The governor said he would direct available resources to assist the rescue operations.
The CTA temporarily suspended three train lines after the crash, including the Red, Yellow, and Purple lines.
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