16 injured in US train crash

Two passenger trains collided at a station in California, injuring at least 16 people, officials said today.

One of the trains had stopped and passengers were disembarking at Amtrak's Oakland station when the second train ran into it at a speed of up to 20 mph, Oakland Fire Department battalion chief Emon Usher said.

Usher says most of the injuries were minor, but that several people were taken to local hospitals.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole described the crash as a "low speed" collision between Amtrak's "San Joaquin," a train that operates between Bakersfield to Oakland, and the Coast Starlight, a train from Los Angeles to Seattle. He said the wheels of each lead engine went off the track.

Alton Smith, a passenger on one of the trains, told television station KTVU that he felt "an awful jolt" from the impact.

All train traffic has been temporarily suspended at the station.

AP