Washington DC Metro Accident Probably Not Terror Attack: White House

WASHINGTON, January 13 (Sputnik) — The accident in Washington, DC metro rail system that took place on Monday has no sign of a terror attack at the current stage of investigation, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said on Tuesday.

“The early indications are that this did not involve terrorism, but rather involved a mechanical failure that occurred,” Earnest told journalists during the press briefing.

On Monday afternoon, Washington, DC’s Yellow Line train going from the L'Enfant Metro Station to Pentagon Station suddenly stopped inside the tunnel causing the train and the tunnel to fill up with smoke. One person died during the incident, 84 were taken to hospital.

“That’s the very preliminary assessment, they are going to continue to look carefully at this,” Earnest added.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation into the Monday accident at one of Washington’s busiest rail stations.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday night visited the passengers injured in the metro accident, sent his condolences to the family of the dead passenger and thanked the rescue team that evacuated the public from the station.