Passenger train collision in England leaves 1 dead, dozens injured, officials say
One person has died and dozens of people were injured after two passenger trains collided in England, authorities said.
The collision occurred Friday evening in the Bedford area, north of London, according to British Transport Police.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said the person who was killed was a train driver.
Nearly 90 people were injured in the incident, according to East of England Ambulance Service, which said it sent more than 20 ambulances to the scene.
As of Saturday morning, 28 remain hospitalized and nine are in critical condition, British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi said.
"We've declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing," British Transport Police Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said in a statement, adding that police are "working at pace to establish exactly what's happened."
The collision involved two East Midlands Railway passenger trains, according to UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
"I'm grateful to emergency services who are on the scene, attending to those affected," Alexander said in a statement on social media. "We're working quickly with the rail industry and local partners to support passengers."
An East Midlands Railway spokesperson said a train traveling from Corby to London was involved in a collision south of Bedford with a train traveling from Nottingham to London.
"We are currently on the scene and working with Network Rail to assist the emergency services," the spokesperson said.
The railway said it is currently unable to run services in or out of London for the rest of the day and advised customers to use alternative routes.
