Washington train crash kills at least 6, injures over 70

WASHINGTON, June 23 (RIA Novosti) - At least six people were killed and more than 70 others injured during the evening rush hour in northeast Washington, when one train crashed into the back of another.

The general manager of the Washington Metro, John Catoe, said it remains unclear why the train arriving at a station failed to stop, colliding with a train that was waiting at the platform for an order to start moving.

The accident took place between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations on the city's busiest Red Line soon after 5 p.m. local time (21:00 GMT) on Monday.

"The scene is as horrific as you can imagine," Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty told reporters at the scene.

President Barack Obama said he was "saddened by the terrible accident," and thanked rescuers for their efforts.

The Washington Metro said that of those wounded, 50 have minor injuries, while the fire department said six are in a critical condition.

The metro said on its website that "Red Line service will be severely impacted on Tuesday, June 23," due to the accident.