Two East Midlands Railway passenger trains crashed into each other during rush hour on Friday evening, killing one person and injuring dozens more.
According to the operator, the trains were the 4:40 PM service from Corby and the 3:50 PM service from Nottingham, both heading toward London St. Pancras. They collided in the Bedford area at around 5:15 PM local time.
British Transport Police confirmed that one person had died in the incident, while emergency services said 89 people were injured, including 11 who suffered “very serious injuries” and 22 who were seriously wounded.
The person killed was reportedly the driver of one of the trains, according to British media and rail union officials. The operator suspended services following the crash, while National Rail warned of major disruptions between London, Bedford, and Leicester.
Emergency crews, including police, firefighters, paramedics, air ambulances, and hazardous area response teams, were deployed to the scene. Local hospitals urged members of the public to avoid emergency departments unless they were facing a genuine emergency, as staff dealt with casualties from the collision.
Videos and images from the scene circulating online showed damaged carriages, emergency vehicles, and passengers being evacuated from the crash site. Witnesses described a sudden impact, smoke, screaming, and injured passengers inside the train.
The cause of the crash has not yet been officially established. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the reports “hugely concerning” and said his thoughts were with the family of the person killed and those injured.