Mysterious smoke that filled DC train station leaves one person dead and over 80 hospitalized

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Smoke fills a yellow line car near the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station.

One person is dead and dozens more are injured after smoke poured into one of Washington, D.C.'s busiest metro stations Monday, creating what authorities described as a "mass casualty" incident.

The heavy smoke began billowing out of L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station around 3 p.m. after a disabled train became trapped inside an underground tunnel, DC Fire and EMS reported.

At least 83 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, including a firefighter, and two were critically injured, authorities said.

"We have one fatality, a woman who was in distress on the train, which I'm very sorry to report," Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles said at a press briefing.

© @LESLEYJLOPEZ VIA TWITTER

Smoke fills the inside of L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station in Washington DC

More than 200 people evacuated from the scene were evaluated for possible injuries, they stated.

"People could barely breathe," passenger Denzel Hatch told NBC Washington . "They had to evacuate us through the tunnel and walk back through the front. No electricity, no visibility, nothing. Couldn't see anything at first."

The source of the smoke has yet to be determined, according to the city's Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. They say they've activated the tunnel fans to ventilate the station which is located just blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

The National Transportation Safety Board is now handling the investigation, an WMATA spokeswoman told the Daily News.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser offered her sentiments to the victims as well as her thanks to the "brave first responders" in a statement released later Monday night.

"We are all saddened by today's fatality aboard the Metrorail, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the passenger who passed away," she stated. "I have been in contact with the WMATA leadership, and we will continue to keep the District's resources available in the aftermath of the incident."

'Mass Casualty' is a term utilized when additional resources are potentially necessary on large scale incidents," DC Fire Fighter L36 tweeted.

The station has since closed with Green Line services suspended between Navy Yard and Mt. Vernon Square and the Yellow Line services suspended between Pentagon City and Mt. Vernon Square.

Authorities say to expect "significant delays."

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