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Numerous passengers were injured when a coach of the line 3 of Metro in Manila slammed through a concrete barrier following a reported technical glitch. Image Credit: Social media

Manila: A train in Manila slammed a steel barrier on Wednesday, causing numerous injuries among passengers and motorists, according to reports.

The incident happened at about 4pm in Pasay City, one of the cities that comprise Metro Manila.

Reports on the number of injuries vary. Solar News reported up to 50 people were hurt in the incident and were taken to nearby hospitals. A police official said 30 of the injured were brought to San Juan De Dios Hospital and Pasay City General Hospital, including a six-year-old child. Others were brought to the Adventist Medical Centre. The Inquirer reported the mishap injured up to 70 people.

Police said the train hit a street post after ramming through a steel barrier. The electric post slammed into a Toyota RAV4.

One passenger told the DZMM radio station he heard an explosion in the front portion of the train in Magallanes station before it slammed into the barrier at the end of Pasay-Edsa/Taft station, where the MRT 3 line terminates on the western end of Manila.

The passenger told the radio station that the train was stalled for about 30 minutes due to an "technical issue" before it hit the wall in Pasay-Taft.

Another horrified passenger said in Tagalog: "We were wondering why the coach didn't come to a stop even after overshooting the passenger platform until it hit the wall."
 

The derailment immediately sparked public outrage. Tweeps had launched scathing attacks on the Department of Transportation and Communication (@dotcmrt_3). But the department has also used social media to give updates on what they are doing.

In a tweet, the Department of Transportation and Communication said they apologise for the glitch and that they are sorting the "technical problem".


A Manila news website tweeted pictures showing emergency workers pulling out injured passengers out of the derailed train at the Edsa Taft Station in Pasay.