A train driver lost his life and 89 passengers were injured, several of them seriously, in the train accident in Britain.
At least one person was killed and dozens were injured, 33 of them “seriously,” during the collision yesterday, Friday, between two passenger trains north of London, according to the Daily Mail.
“People were moaning and screaming”
The collision occurred late yesterday afternoon south of Bedford, a market town located about 90 kilometers north of the British capital, according to East Midlands Railway (EMR).
“I was instantly thrown to the opposite seat, and then I saw smoke,” passenger Pete Nap told the Press Association.
“People were moaning, screaming; they were in shock and overwhelmed,” he added.
“I saw many who were unable to speak; they had broken legs,” he noted.
What the investigations are looking into
Investigators are examining the possibility of a malfunction in the Automatic Warning System on one train, which activates the train’s brakes if the engineer fails to acknowledge an approaching red stop signal.
According to reports, the trains collided while the engineer of one train was reporting the malfunction to maintenance personnel by phone.
Nearly five hours after the collision, the East of England Ambulance Service confirmed the death of one person at the scene. “Eleven others have been very seriously injured, 22 seriously, and 56 have minor injuries,” the service stated.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the situation is “extremely concerning.” In a statement, he noted that “his thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly lost his life and with those who have been seriously injured,” and added that he is “grateful to the emergency services for the speed with which they responded to this tragic incident.”
Emergency services were called around 5:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. Greek time) to the railway line south of Bedford, where the accident occurred.
Unverified images posted on social media show two trains, apparently belonging to East Midlands Railway (EMR) after their collision, with one train wedged into the rear of the other.
According to these images, both trains remain on the tracks. However, one passenger reported that one of the trains had derailed.
Widespread mobilization of authorities in Britain
The East of England Ambulance Service announced on social media that it had dispatched “multiple resources, including air ambulances” to the scene of a “serious incident” south of Bedford.
Passenger Pete Nap posted images online on the Bluesky platform, clarifying that he was in the “first car” of one of the trains and that he was “in shock” after the collision.
“I’m okay, I have blood on my legs and I hit my back. The others aren’t okay,” she added.
Teresa Aitabor, also a passenger, told the BBC that she heard a “huge bang,” and then she hit her head on the seat in front of her. “I opened my eyes and then saw people lying on the floor, with blood everywhere,” she recounted.
An EMR spokesperson confirmed the collision between the two trains, one coming from Corby and the other from Nottingham, two cities in central England, and clarified that following the accident, no trains were able to arrive at or depart from London’s St. Pancras station.
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander expressed “grave concern.”
The Railway Accident Investigation Branch, which investigates accidents and incidents involving trains and trams, announced that a team of investigators is on site “to begin gathering evidence.”
Rail industry expert Tony Miles told Sky News that it appears to have been a “relatively low-speed collision” and that the damage sustained by the trains appears to be “fairly minor,” according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
