One person has been confirmed dead and 22 others seriously injured in what appears to be UK’s worst train crash in recent memory.
At around 5.15 pm on Friday two passenger trains collided on the East Midlands Railway service. The Luton Airport Express rammed into a stationary East Midlands Rail Service to Nottingham. Both the trains were filled with commuters returning from work on a busy Friday evening.
It is believed that the EMR which was on its way to Nottingham had to be stopped because of a faulty warning system and while the driver was in communication with the maintenance team to get it rectified the Airport service crashed into it from behind leaving hundreds of passengers injured.
Twenty two ambulances and another six air ambulances with scores of fire service vehicles were rushed to the spot for rescue operations. All those injured have been admitted to hospitals in and around Bedford where a medical emergency has been declared calling ”All hands on deck” by hospital authorities.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and the British Transport Police (BTP) have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the accident.
Meanwhile major disruption of service on the East Midlands route is expected well into the weekend.
This is a developing story.
