Collision and Separation on Beijing Subway: Injuries Increase from About 30 to 515

Beijing Suburban Railway Line Accident
"Snow-Covered Tracks... Train Collision Followed by Carriage Derailment"

On the 14th, a train running in Beijing, China, experienced a separation accident. The cause of the carriage separation was reported to be due to a collision. The number of injured from the accident was reported to be over 500, far exceeding the initially announced 30 people.

Rear-end and separation accidents occurred on the Beijing Subway in China on the 14th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to China Central Television (CCTV) on the 15th, 515 people underwent hospital examinations following the train accident near Xiaerqi Station on the Changping (昌平) Line of the Beijing Metro at around 6:57 PM the previous day. Yonhap News reported that among them, 102 were confirmed to have fractures.

Of those transported to hospitals, 67 were admitted, and 25 were still under observation for symptoms. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

Immediately after the accident, Beijing authorities announced that "train carriages were separated" and that there were about 30 injured, without mentioning the 'collision.' Local media also reported that two carriages at the tail end of the train were separated at the time of the accident. At that time, heavy snow had fallen in Beijing since the previous day, leading to school closures and suspension of some train services.

According to the authorities' initial investigation, CCTV reported that the train ahead made an emergency stop on slippery ground tracks due to the snow that fell the previous day, and the following train on the downhill section failed to stop properly, causing the collision accident.

Based on announcements over two days and on-site footage, it is estimated that the rear carriages of the train were separated due to the collision impact. The impact caused passengers inside the train to fall and sustain injuries, and the separation of the train cut off the power supply, turning off the carriage lights.

Videos circulated on Chinese social media immediately after the accident showed passengers inside the carriage relying on their phone flashlights in the pitch-dark interior, with some passengers lying on the floor. Some passengers attempted to escape by breaking train windows using emergency hammers. Another video showed firefighters evacuating elderly passengers, while passengers whose feet were trapped were seen leaving the scene by pushing through the snow.

According to local media such as China Youth Daily, Xiaerqi Station, where the accident occurred, is one of the busiest stations in the Beijing Metro network, with a daily ridership of 350,000. During morning and evening peak hours, up to 80,000 people use the station, and the accident occurred during the evening rush hour. It was also reported that due to the heavy snowfall in Beijing that day, subway ridership was higher than usual.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.