The collision took place late in the afternoon near Bedford, a town about 90 km north of the British capital. (Photo: X)
The British Transport Police said on Saturday that a train driver had died after two trains collided north of London on Friday. Eleven people were seriously injured in the accident.
The collision took place late in the afternoon near Bedford, a town about 90 km north of the British capital. According to East Midlands Railway (EMR), two London-bound trains were involved on the same track.
“Tragically enough, one person was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the driver of one of the trains involved,” the police said in a statement.
A total of 33 people were taken to hospital, of which 11 were in a serious condition, the police said.
Another 56 people were treated for injuries.
British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said it was “too early to speculate” on the cause of the collision.
“We will ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out to determine the cause of the collision and to ensure that lessons are learned from it so that an incident like this never happens again,” said Alexander.
Paul Cavin, a passenger on one of the trains, told the BBC: “We stopped and suddenly we were hit hard from behind.”
His train was on its way to London’s St Pancras station.
“There were people in my car who were injured,” he said. According to him, he saw many injured passengers walking away from the trains, some with “broken noses”.
Brett Byatt, also a passenger, told BBC Radio on Saturday: “Today it feels unreal, and I think I’ve reached the stage of anger now. I feel quite angry.”
Train collisions are relatively rare in the UK.
In September 2023, several people were injured after two trains collided at Aviemore station in the Scottish Highlands.