

** FILE ** Rescue workers remove bodies from the wreckage after two Metro trains collided near the Fort Totten station in June 2009. (Astrid Riecken/The Washington Times)UPDATED:
Investigators continued to sift for clues Tuesday into what caused a Metro train to crash into another, killing nine people, including the operator, and injuring 70 — the deadliest subway crash in D.C. history.
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty reduced the death toll by two Tuesday morning in the deadliest Metro crash in history. He said two are in stable condition and that one remains in critical condition following the red line accident that occurred at about 5 p.m.
Later in the afternoon, the number climbed back up to nine dead.
The red line train was headed into the nation’s capital during the evening rush hour Monday.
The operator of the back train, Jeanice McMillan of Springfield, Va., was a Metro employee since January 2007, Metro spokesman Steve Taubenkibel told the Associated Press.
The crash, which occurred minutes after 5 p.m. near the Fort Totten rail station in Northeast, left twisted rail cars stacked on top of each other and scores of passengers limping from the wreckage while talking on cell phones. Hundreds of rescuers used heavy machinery to extract the injured.
“The scene is as horrific as you can imagine,” Mr. Fenty said.
Mr. Fenty said more than 70 people were taken to hospitals. D.C. fire and emergency services Chief Dennis L. Rubin said six people were injured seriously, 14 suffered moderate injuries and more than 50 people received injuries not considered life-threatening.
“Michelle and I were saddened by the terrible accident in Northeast Washington, D.C. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy. I want to thank the brave first responders who arrived immediately to save lives,” President Barack Obama said Monday.
Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said the six-car train slammed into the second six-car train between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations.
“The next train came up behind it, and for reasons we do not know, plowed into the back of that train,” Mr. Catoe said.
Mr. Catoe refused to comment on the possible cause of the accident. But, apparently, one train slammed into the other as it waited for a third train to clear the Fort Totten station.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will take the lead in investigating the accident. Debbie Hersman, an NTSB board member, said a team of nine investigators was on the scene. FBI agents were also assisting with the evidence collection.
View Entire StoryBy Richard W. Rahn
Budget fantasy won't help us cope with coming fiscal disaster

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times
If some Arizona lawmakers get their way, George Carlin’s “Seven Words” routine could be updated ...

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times
The FDA has won its two-year fight to shut down an Amish farmer who was ...

By Anthony McCartney - Associated Press
Whitney Houston was under water and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly ...
Independent voices from the TWT Communities

Children around the globe are too often silent. From victims of abuse - physical, mental, and sexual to those whose lives embrace joy, their stories are many and need to be heard.

Join along as a George Washington University student immerses himself into Madrid’s food, arts, cultural and social life as he quests for total Spanish enculturation.

The “Silver Tsunami” created by aging Baby Boomers is hitting America. Let’s explore how we adjust to it, enjoy it and defy negative expectations about age.