Passengers aboard two trains involved in a devastating crash near Bedford have recounted the terrifying moment the services collided, with one traveller sharing video footage from the immediate aftermath.
Details of the Collision
The incident occurred at approximately 5.15pm on Friday, June 19, when two East Midlands Railway (EMR) services struck each other just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6. The trains involved were the 4.40pm Corby to London St Pancras service and the 3.50pm Nottingham to London St Pancras.
The driver of one of the trains has been confirmed as having lost their life. Eleven people sustained "very serious" injuries, 22 were seriously hurt, and a further 56 passengers suffered minor injuries.
Aerial Footage and Scene
Aerial footage from the scene shows the two stricken EMR trains, with the majority of carriages remaining on the tracks but at least one having been displaced.
Passenger Accounts
Passenger Dr Peter Knapp told the BBC he had been travelling in the "front carriage of the train that collided into another one."
"When I got up, I saw all of the chairs everywhere. It felt like I'd been in a bomb explosion," he said. "When I got up, I saw people's bloodied faces and people's legs looked broken and there was smoke everywhere."
Dr Knapp said that officers were noting passengers' details while others were being transported to hospital. He described witnessing some people "spitting out blood." Harrowing cries from passengers can be heard in footage recorded by Dr Knapp following the collision.
Another passenger, Shola Mene, recalled hearing a "big bang" during the incident. "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," she said.
Teresa Itabor, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, was travelling to London to mark her birthday. "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," she said. "I opened my eyes and that's when I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere."
