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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iranian Rail Accident: More Than 200 Killed
Aired February 18, 2004 - 06:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get more now on that train explosion in Tehran in Iran, 200 possibly dead, hundreds more wounded.
Matthew Chance is live in Tehran. He joins us now to tell us more.
Hello -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol.
And in fact, the train exploded several hundred kilometers away from the Iranian capital, Tehran. We're slowly now building up a picture of exactly what happened based on reports that are trickling through to us from that area some distance, as I say, away from Tehran, the Iranian capital. It seems, though, that a number of railroad carriages, cargo train carriages, broke away, were -- came uncoupled from their engine and began to roll away, careening off the tracks.
Now these cargo trains were apparently carrying inflammable materials, like petrol, like fertilizer chemicals, like sulfur as well. They careened off the tracks into some populated areas. Some people were killed, we understand, as a result of that. But the majority of the dead and injured, and the latest figures that we have are that some 200 people have been killed, confirmed through the authorities, another 350 people are said to have been injured and taken away to hospitals in the areas.
The majority of those casualties caused by some kind of secondary explosion when onlookers and villagers, as well as rescue workers, rushed to the scene to see what they could do to help out when this initial train crash occurred, when there was this big explosion that was really quite earthshaking, literally earthshaking in its proportions. It was heard, this explosion, from some 50 miles away, according to eyewitnesses.
And the Seismological Department of Tehran University reports registering an earth tremor measuring 3.6 on the scale of magnitude, which they say they believe was related to this enormous explosion which has caused a great deal of casualties, including, we understand from Iranian officials, the local governor of the area was one of those people who was caught up in that secondary blast and killed along with the several hundred others -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Matthew Chance reporting live from Tehran, Iran this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 18, 2004 - 06:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get more now on that train explosion in Tehran in Iran, 200 possibly dead, hundreds more wounded.
Matthew Chance is live in Tehran. He joins us now to tell us more.
Hello -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol.
And in fact, the train exploded several hundred kilometers away from the Iranian capital, Tehran. We're slowly now building up a picture of exactly what happened based on reports that are trickling through to us from that area some distance, as I say, away from Tehran, the Iranian capital. It seems, though, that a number of railroad carriages, cargo train carriages, broke away, were -- came uncoupled from their engine and began to roll away, careening off the tracks.
Now these cargo trains were apparently carrying inflammable materials, like petrol, like fertilizer chemicals, like sulfur as well. They careened off the tracks into some populated areas. Some people were killed, we understand, as a result of that. But the majority of the dead and injured, and the latest figures that we have are that some 200 people have been killed, confirmed through the authorities, another 350 people are said to have been injured and taken away to hospitals in the areas.
The majority of those casualties caused by some kind of secondary explosion when onlookers and villagers, as well as rescue workers, rushed to the scene to see what they could do to help out when this initial train crash occurred, when there was this big explosion that was really quite earthshaking, literally earthshaking in its proportions. It was heard, this explosion, from some 50 miles away, according to eyewitnesses.
And the Seismological Department of Tehran University reports registering an earth tremor measuring 3.6 on the scale of magnitude, which they say they believe was related to this enormous explosion which has caused a great deal of casualties, including, we understand from Iranian officials, the local governor of the area was one of those people who was caught up in that secondary blast and killed along with the several hundred others -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Matthew Chance reporting live from Tehran, Iran this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
