‘People were crying, screaming’: Two killed, 80 injured in two-train collision near London | VIDEO | World

Two passenger trains collided north of London on Friday, killing one train driver and leaving dozens of passengers seriously injured. A survivor said the impact hurled him forward, and he later saw fellow travellers suffering from broken bones and bleeding injuries amid scenes of panic and confusion.

According to rail tracking data, both trains were travelling south towards London St Pancras station when they collided near the town of Bedford at around 5:15 pm local time, Associated Press reported.

A major emergency response was launched, with ambulances, firefighters, police units, an air ambulance and a hazardous area response team deployed to the site.

Passengers describe crash horror

“We know that a number of people have been injured and one person has very sadly died,” police said in a statement.

“A major incident has been declared, and officers are continuing to respond at the scene alongside colleagues from Bedfordshire Police and the local Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services,” the statement added.

Peter Knapp, a passenger on the rear train, said the collision happened without warning.

“There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming. People were so scared and confused,” he said.

“I got up and I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak and had broken legs,” Knapp added.

He said he managed to escape the train by squeezing through a gap in the doors.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed dozens of passengers gathered near the tracks, some receiving medical attention while emergency vehicles lined a road running parallel to the railway.

The RMT union, which represents railway workers, said it was closely monitoring the situation and expressed concern over reports of serious injuries suffered by both passengers and rail staff.

East Midlands Railway said its 4:40 pm service from Corby to London St Pancras was involved in the collision with the 3:50 pm Nottingham-to-St Pancras train.

The operator announced the cancellation of all services to and from London St Pancras for the remainder of Friday and said it was unable to confirm Saturday’s schedule as investigations and recovery operations continued.

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