Seven people were killed and a dozen injured when a crowded New York commuter train struck a car stalled on the tracks near suburban White Plains during the rush hour yesterday evening, sparking an explosion and a fire, officials said.

Six people on the train died, as well as the driver of a Jeep Cherokee that got stuck on the tracks and was hit at about 6.30pm, 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.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino told reporters 12 people were injured, 10 of them seriously. Eleven of the injured were taken to Westchester Medical Center, he added.

The train was carrying hundreds of commuters, and a car was crushed onto the front of the train, which was partially destroyed, Reuters witnesses said.

The witnesses said emergency workers were seen carrying someone off the train on a stretcher at 9.45pm local time as dozens of fire and police vehicles flooded the area with lights.

Media reported that at least five people on the train were killed.

MTA said 400 riders from the eight-car train were taken to a local rock-climbing gym for shelter. Average ridership on the train is 650 people, MTA said.

The media reports said the driver of the car got out briefly to try to push it off the tracks, then got back into the car before it was hit by the train.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was heading to the scene, his press office said.

Paul DeLaurentis, a CBS radio employee, said in an interview with 1010 WINS radio station that he was on the train, in the third or fourth car.

“We didn’t feel the impact at all. There was nothing that would make you turn your head or sit up and say what was that,” DeLaurentis said.

But within a few minutes people started coming into his car from the front carriages and people started smashing emergency windows and smoke started pouring in, he said.

“The smoke was coming both from the inside and from the outside.”

Amid the confusion, passengers did not know what to do until emergency responders arrived, DeLaurentis said. Eventually passengers were guided off the train - they set up a ladder at

one end of the train to help people off - and it was only then that he looked back and saw how bad it was.

“Just flames shooting out, bright orange flames, dark smoke.”

The accident involved a train heading out of New York City on the Harlem Line. Service was suspended on a segment of the line between North White Plains and Pleasantville, the Metro-North Railroad service said.

Roads closed for many blocks

Roads were closed for many blocks around the site, and the entire area was lit with lights from emergency and police vehicles.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department, which responded to the accident about 48km north-east of New York City, did not immediately provide information on injuries or fatalities.

The Harlem Line train runs from Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan to Wassaic in southeast New York state.

- Reuters