A train driver has died and 89 people have been left injured – 11 of them “very seriously” – after two passenger trains collided near Bedford on Friday afternoon, in a crash that sent passengers flying from their seats and left bloodied victims trapped inside carriages.
The deceased has been confirmed as one of the train drivers, Dave Calfe, general secretary of Aslef the train drivers’ union said. British Transport Police said one person died in the collision, which happened at around 5:15pm on the line between Bedford and Luton. All lines remain blocked as emergency services swarm the area.
“Train driver killed, 89 injured in Bedfordshire crash; passengers describe 'blood everywhere'.”
The East of England Ambulance Service said nearly 90 people had been injured, over 30 of them seriously. Of the 89 injured, 11 suffered “very serious” injuries, 22 were seriously injured, and a further 56 sustained minor injuries, according to The Mirror.
Passenger Teresa Itabor, from Wellingborough, was on her way to London to celebrate her birthday. She said she had her eyes closed and headphones in when the collision happened. “We left Bedford station and there was a massive bang... I didn’t know what was going on; my head hit the seat in front of me. I opened my eyes and that’s when I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere.” The carriage doors had jammed and would not open, she added.
Dr Peter Knapp, travelling in the “front carriage of the train that collided into another one”, told the BBC: “When I got up, I saw all of the chairs everywhere. It felt like I’d been in a bomb explosion. I saw people’s bloodied faces and people’s legs looked broken and there was smoke everywhere.” He said some passengers were “spitting out blood”.
Another passenger, Brett Byatt, said he knew something was wrong because the train never slows down between Bedford and Luton. He said the train slowed gradually, “then it was like a boom, smash, and everyone that was sat down went flying into one another”. He described seeing a woman with a completely snapped leg, another unable to move because of her back, and a man lying on the floor holding his neck.
Shola Mene said the collision “was like a big bang. Then people flew from their seats, the seats were pulling, and then someone just flew across and hit my husband in the face. There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries.”
The Mirror reported that a problem with the automatic warning system led the first train to stop, after which it was hit from behind by the second train. Both trains were heading to London St Pancras. Police have urged relatives not to travel to the scene, and passengers heading to Luton Airport have been advised to use alternative routes.