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One person has died and nearly 90 more people are hurt after a collision Friday between two passenger trains in the Bedford area north of London.
The East of England ambulance service confirmed the casualties in a statement. It said 11 people had very serious injuries and another 22 were seriously hurt. Fifty-six people had minor injuries, bringing the total number of injured people to 89.
“We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing. We’re working at pace to establish exactly what’s happened and will provide further information as soon as we are able to,” read a statement from British Transport Police (BTP) Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue crews were responding to the incident reported at 6:45 p.m. local time.
Police close a road in Bedford after the crash. (Jordan Reynolds/PA/The Associated Press)
Video posted on social media showed a damaged Luton Airport Express train upright on the tracks and people who appeared to be passengers sitting and standing in a field alongside.
East Midlands Railway said a 4:40 p.m. train from Corby collided with a 3:30 train travelling from Nottingham. Both trains were bound for London St. Pancras, a statement said.
“We are currently on the scene and working with Network Rail to assist the emergency services,” the statement read.
“Further updates will be provided as soon as more information is established.”
In a separate post on X, a spokesperson for the the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said there had been “serious injuries sustained by on-board train staff and passengers.”
“The thoughts of the whole union are with those affected and we continue to monitor the situation.”
