‘Thought it was a terror explosion’: Passengers in London train collision ‘broke legs, unable to speak’; driver dies
Two passenger trains collided near Bedford, north London, on Friday, killing a train driver and injuring more than 80 people as survivors recalled scenes of panic and destruction.Describing the moments after the crash, passenger Dr Pete Knapp told the Press Association: “There was a moment when I was thrown into the chair in front and then I saw the smoke. People were crying, people were screaming, people were very scared and confused.”The incident occurred between Bedford and Luton at around 5.15pm local time as both trains were traveling south towards London St Pancras Station. Emergency services, including air ambulances and specialist rescue teams, rushed to the scene after several carriages derailed.According to emergency officials, 89 people were injured in the accident. Eleven people were seriously injured, 22 were seriously injured and 56 were treated for minor injuries.Recalling the impact, Knapp said there was no warning before the collision.“There was a moment where I was thrown into a chair in front and then I saw the smoke. People were crying, people were screaming, people were very scared and confused,” he said.“I stood up and saw a lot of people who couldn’t speak and had broken legs, and then I managed to get off the train and squeeze through the gap in the door because I was so thin.”He added that his first thought was to run away in case the incident was caused by an explosion.“My first thought was that I needed to get out of the car in case there was a terrorist explosion and I thought it would be safer to get out of the car,” he said.Another passenger, Shola Mene, told the BBC there was a “loud bang” and “people flew out of their seats”. “Someone flew over and hit my husband in the face. There was a lot of blood. There were a lot of facial injuries,” Mene said. In another interview, Knapp compared the scene to a bomb exploding.“When I stood up I saw chairs everywhere and I felt like I was in the middle of a bomb blast. When I stood up I saw people’s faces were bloody and people’s legs looked broken.” There was smoke everywhere,” he told the BBC.Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement: “My thoughts are with the families of those who have tragically lost their lives and those who have been seriously injured.”Social media videos from the scene showed injured passengers sitting in damaged carriages, while others were sitting on the tracks with their bodies wrapped in bandages after being evacuated.Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), confirmed the deceased was a train driver.He said: “We are saddened to learn that a train driver and former RMT representative has tragically died in a crash between Luton and Bedford today. The thoughts of the RMT are with their families, friends, colleagues and the Aslef union at this terrible time.”Dave Kalf, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef, also expressed his condolences to the victims.He said: “Our thoughts tonight are with the family and friends of the driver who died in a crash near Bedford today and the passengers injured in the crash.”Rail operator East Midlands Railway said the incident involved a 4.40pm train from Corby to London St Pancras and a 3.50pm train from Nottingham to the same destination.The company suspended all train services to and from London St Pancras for the remainder of the day as emergency services continued to respond and investigators began investigating the cause of the collision.
