The train was carrying 600 to 700 people when it derailed at a station in Brooklyn seriously damaging the first two cars, according to fire department officials who added that all injuries are non-life threatening.

Investigators assess damage after a Long Island Railroad train derailed at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York City, US, in this January 4, 2017 National Transportation Safety Board handout photo.
Investigators assess damage after a Long Island Railroad train derailed at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York City, US, in this January 4, 2017 National Transportation Safety Board handout photo. (TRT World and Agencies)

A New York commuter train derailed Wednesday during the morning rush at a station in Brooklyn, sparking chaotic scenes and leaving more than 100 people with minor injuries.

The accident at Atlantic Terminal in the heart of the New York borough came less than four months after a fatal crash on another commuter line in New Jersey, when a speeding train derailed and slammed into a station.

Passengers rushed out as smoke filled the tunnel following Wednesday's crash of a Long Island Rail Road train around 8:30 am (1330 GMT). The impact bent the train's doors and smashed windows.

Some of the injured were brought out on stretchers.

A man is put into an ambulance outside the Atlantic Terminal January 4, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City following a train accident.
A man is put into an ambulance outside the Atlantic Terminal January 4, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City following a train accident. (TRT World and Agencies)

Television footage showed passengers holding ice packs to their heads and nursing bloody noses.

"I was getting up from my seat and there was a loud impact and I flew forward and then flew backward," a passenger named Amanda told local network CBS2. "It was total chaos, there was smoke on the train and we were sitting there in shock."

Officials — visibly relieved the crash left no one dead or seriously hurt — said the causes of the derailment were unclear and they were launching an investigation.

"103 injuries reported at scene of Atlantic Terminal LIRR train derailment, all non-life-threatening," the New York Fire Department said in a tweet.

A fire department official said the train carried 600 to 700 people, and the first two cars were seriously damaged.

At least 11 people were taken to hospital, unable to walk, according to FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Daniel Donoghue. "We were lucky, it could have been quite a bit worse," he said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo explained that the train was supposed to stop at a bumper but failed to do so, moving a few feet past it. He said the most serious injury was a possible broken leg.

New York's emergency notification system warned of traffic and transit delays and road closures in the area, though most of the rail network functioned normally after the accident.

The scene outside the Atlantic Terminal January 4, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
The scene outside the Atlantic Terminal January 4, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (TRT World and Agencies)

Authorities said the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn's main rail hub, would resume normal operations by evening rush hour.

In September, a train derailed during rush hour as it entered the station in Hoboken, New Jersey. One person died and 114 were injured.

An investigation into that incident, in which the train entered the station at an unusually high speed, is ongoing.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies