One person has sadly died, and dozens have been injured in a train crash near Bedford. A passenger on one of the trains involved has shared the horror he witnessed.
Passenger's Harrowing Account
Passenger and journalist Pete Knapp recalled being flung forward when the collision happened this afternoon, just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6. Describing the harrowing and strong impact, he told the BBC: 'When I got up, I saw all of the chairs everywhere, I felt like I had been in a bomb explosion. When I got up, I saw people's bloodied faces, people's legs looked broken. There was smoke everywhere.'
In a separate interview with the Press Association, the 40-year-old recalled hearing people 'crying, screaming' following the powerful impact between trains. He continued: 'I got up and I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs, and then I managed to get out of the train and because I'm quite thin I was able to squeeze out through the gap in the doors.' He added: 'My first thought was I needed to get out of the train just in case it was a terrorist explosion, I thought it was safer to get off the train.'
Crash Details and Casualties
The crash happened at approximately 5.15pm on June 19. The British Transport Police (BTP) has since confirmed one person has sadly died, and dozens of people were left injured. East of England Ambulance Service said 11 people suffered 'very serious' injuries while 22 others were seriously hurt. A further 56 people sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene or in hospital. All patients with the most serious injuries have all now been taken to hospital.
Trains Involved
The two trains involved in the incident were both East Midlands Railway (EMR) services operating the 4.40pm departure from Corby and the 3.50pm departure from Nottingham, both to London St Pancras.
