LONDON: One person was killed, and 89 people were injured after two passenger trains collided north of London on Friday, prompting a major emergency response and an investigation into one of Britain’s most serious rail accidents in recent years.
Emergency services said the collision occurred near Bedford, about 90 kilometres north of the UK capital, involving two trains operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) that were travelling towards London on the same track.
The East of England Ambulance Service said one person died at the scene.
“A further 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured, and a further 56 people had minor injuries,” the service said in a statement.
British Transport Police declared a major incident after the collision was reported at 17:15 local time on Friday.
Those with less severe injuries were treated at the scene or transported to nearby hospitals.
Passengers Describe Chaotic Scenes
Passengers recounted moments of panic following the crash.
“There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were so scared and confused,” passenger Pete Knapp told the Press Association news agency.
🚨 WATCH: Aerial footage of the scene of the train crash south of Bedford via Sky News pic.twitter.com/gskUtxokzC
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“I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs,” he added.
Knapp later posted photographs and videos on the social media platform Bluesky, saying he had been travelling in the front carriage of one of the trains.
“I’m ok with bloody legs and back impact. Others are not good,” he wrote.
Another passenger, Teresa Itabor, told the BBC that there was “a massive bang” before her head struck the seat in front.
“I opened my eyes, and that’s when I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere,” she said.
Emergency Response
The ambulance service deployed more than 20 ambulances and six air ambulances to the scene.
British Transport Police declared a major incident, while emergency crews worked for several hours to evacuate passengers and transport the most seriously injured victims to the hospital.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “hugely concerning”.
“My thoughts are with the family of the person who has sadly lost their life, and with those who have been seriously injured,” Starmer said.
“I am grateful to the emergency services for their swift response to this tragic incident.”
Rail Services Disrupted
East Midlands Railway confirmed that both trains involved were travelling southbound towards London St Pancras station.
One service had departed from Corby, while the other originated in Nottingham.
The operator said services were unable to run in or out of London St Pancras for the remainder of the evening.
Images circulating on social media and aerial footage broadcast by news organisations showed passengers walking along railway tracks after the crash. While both trains largely remained upright, at least one carriage appeared to have partially left the rails.
Investigation Underway
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said a team of inspectors had arrived at the scene and begun gathering evidence.
Rail expert Tony Miles told Sky News that initial images suggested a relatively low-speed collision.
“The damage to the trains looks fairly minimal,” he said, while cautioning that even low-speed impacts can cause serious injuries to passengers.
Rare Rail Accident
Fatal train accidents are relatively uncommon in Britain.
In 2023, several people were injured after two trains collided at Aviemore railway station in Scotland on the heritage Strathspey Railway.
In August 2020, three people were killed, and six were injured when a passenger train derailed near Stonehaven in northeast Scotland after heavy rain triggered a landslip.
