One of the most serious railway tragedies in recent years occurred on Friday afternoon (June 19) in Britain, when two trains operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) collided near Bedford while traveling toward London St. Pancras station.

The toll is heavy. One train driver lost his life, while 89 passengers and crew members were injured. According to emergency services, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, another 22 were seriously injured, and 56 sustained minor injuries.

Investigation into the causes is ongoing

The British Transport Police declared a major incident immediately after the collision, which occurred at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time.

In a statement, they said: “Tragically, one person was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the driver of one of the trains involved, and his family has been notified.”

The general secretary of the RMT union, Eddie Dembsey, stated that the union is: “devastated to learn that a train driver and former RMT representative has tragically lost his life.”

The causes of the collision remain unknown and are being investigated by the relevant authorities, while service to and from London St Pancras was suspended for several hours.

“I saw blood and broken legs”

Passengers who were inside the train cars described scenes reminiscent of a war zone.

Passenger Dr. Peter Nap, who was in the front car of one of the trains, told the BBC: “When I stood up, I saw all the seats scattered everywhere. I felt as if I had been caught in a bomb blast. When I stood up, I saw people’s faces covered in blood and legs that looked broken, and there was smoke everywhere.”

A similar description was given by passenger Sola Mene, who was on one of the trains: “People were thrown from their seats, the seats were shaking, and then someone was thrown and hit my husband in the face. There was a lot of blood. Many people had facial injuries.”

She added that complete chaos ensued after the collision, as passengers tried to figure out exactly what had happened.

Transportation Minister Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned” about the accident and the death of the train driver.

“My thoughts are with everyone affected,” she said, adding that it is “too early to speculate” on the causes.

She further emphasized: “We will ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted to determine how this collision occurred and to ensure that lessons are learned so that we never have such an incident again.”

Aerial images of the scene show significant damage to both trains, and at least one car has derailed. Authorities’ investigations are ongoing, with the aim of clarifying the circumstances that led to the deadly accident.

Starmer: My thoughts are with the victim’s family

Keir Starmer commented on the “extremely concerning” incident. He said, “My thoughts are with the family of the person who, unfortunately, lost their life, as well as with those who were seriously injured.”