Seven die when train hits Jeep

Seven people were killed and at least a dozen injured when a crowded New York commuter train slammed into a four-wheel-drive vehicle stalled on the tracks near suburban White Plains during evening rush-hour yesterday, sparking an explosion and a fire, officials said. Six passengers on the train died, as well as the driver of the Jeep Cherokee which had got stuck on the tracks, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a news conference after visiting what he said was a devastating scene. ‘‘This is a truly ugly and brutal sight,’’ he told reporters. ‘‘The third rail of the track came up from the explosion and went right through the [rail] car, it’s a devastatingly ugly situation.’’ The third rail, which carries 750 volts of direct current, tore through the floor of the first car of the train, charring the carriage and sending billows of smoke into the air. Damage to the other seven cars was minimal. ‘‘It’s actually amazing that not more people were hurt on that train,’’ Cuomo said.

UNITED STATES