More than 100 people were injured in a train collision in Beijing as heavy snow fell on the Chinese capital

BEIJING – Two subway trains collided in heavy snow in Beijing, authorities said Friday, sending 515 people to hospital, including 102 with broken bones.

The accident occurred Thursday evening in a mountainous area west of Beijing on an above-ground section of the subway network’s sprawling Changping Line.

The slippery tracks triggered automatic braking on the main train. The city’s transportation authority said in a statement on Friday on its social media account that a train following it from behind was on a descending and sliding section and was unable to brake in time.

She added that emergency medical personnel, police and transportation authorities responded and all passengers were evacuated by approximately 11 p.m. The authority said that 25 passengers were under observation and 67 remained in hospital on Friday morning.

The unusually heavy snowfall, which began falling on Wednesday, led to the suspension of some train operations and the closure of schools.

Advisories remain in place for icy roads, extreme cold and more snow. Temperatures were set to drop to minus 11 degrees Celsius (12 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight.

No deaths were reported due to the winter storms that struck a wide area of ​​northern China. Winters in Beijing tend to be very cold, but heavy snowfall is rare.