Timeline Shows Long Wait for Help on Smoke-Filled DC Subway

BY BEN NUCKOLS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A timeline of the emergency response to a smoke-filled subway train in the nation’s capital shows that passengers were still asking when help would arrive 27 minutes after the smoke was first reported.

One woman died and dozens more were sickened when the train filled with smoke Monday afternoon near a busy station in downtown Washington.

The timeline released Thursday by District of Columbia officials confirms the account of passengers who said they waited more than a half-hour for help. It does not disclose the time that paramedics actually reached the smoke-filled train.

The first report of trouble came at 3:18 p.m. At 3:45 p.m., a woman called 911 from the train to ask whether help was on the way.