Post by Salem6 on Nov 7, 2004 8:50:11 GMT
Six people have died and seven are seriously injured after a high-speed train hit a car on a level crossing on Saturday evening.
One eyewitness described the train like a "twisted baguette"
The 1735 First Great Western service from Paddington to Plymouth was derailed near Ufton Nervet, Berkshire.
It comes two months after a railway inspectors' report warned of the dangers of level crossings.
Det Chief Constable Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police described the scene as one of "great devastation".
Possible reasons for the crash are being investigated.
Investigators are considering whether the car was reversed deliberately on to the track, rail industry sources say.
All eight carriages on the train came off the tracks in the accident, which happened between Newbury and Reading, said police.
The train, which was carrying approximately 300 passengers, was derailed at around 1815 GMT after hitting a car on an unmanned level crossing some 500 yards from the A4.
Police, ambulance and fire fighters had been working together in very difficult conditions to free casualties, Mr Trotter told a press conference on Saturday.
It is thought all the injured have been rescued, but he said firefighters and police officers with dogs would search the wreckage and surrounding fields until first light to ensure there are no other casualties.
First Great Western trains confirmed early on Sunday the train driver was among the fatalities.
In a statement the company expressed condolences to the families of those customers and staff involved in the incident. The driver's family have been informed of his death.
The company said four of its employees were on duty on the train at the time of the crash, including two managers, a "customer host" serving in the buffet and the driver.
A total of 61 injured were taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and others to the North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke.
Of the patients taken there, 48 have been discharged.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Berkshire said on Sunday morning that nine of the others had "minor" injuries, four were "serious but stable", and one was in a life-threatening condition. Another patient had been transferred to another hospital.
Passengers who survived the crash have given their reaction.
'Juddering halt'
Mario Iotti told BBC News: "I heard the noise of the wheels screeching very loud. There was broken glass all over the track.
"The whole thing tilted to the left side of the tracks. My carriage remained on the tracks but on its side, sliding along."
One of the train's passengers, Jonny Saunders, who works for BBC Radio Five Live, said he and his fellow passengers were "in complete shock".
He said: "We came to a juddering halt and suddenly the lights went off, screaming, shouting and it went pitch black, then total chaos in the carriage for a few moments.
Tim Grundy, an eyewitness to the aftermath, said the train looked like a "twisted baguette".
He said the middle sections were completely destroyed.
The accident happened at an automatic level crossing
Emergency services
Richard Micklewright, who was on the train, said it looked like carriages were "strewn all over the place".
He said: "Our particular carriage went on to its side, about a 45 degree angle but fortunately it stopped shortly after that.
"I can tell you the carriage in front of us was upright, the one before that ended up at a right-angle to the tracks, beyond that I couldn't see clearly."
He also praised the emergency services, saying they had arrived in around 10 or 15 minutes.
The accident happened at an automatic level crossing
Keith Lumley, a Network Rail spokesman, said the accident happened at an automatic level crossing with half barriers on each side of the road.
First Great Western has warned of severe travel disruption due to the closed line.
People worried about friends or relatives who may have been on the train are asked to call 08458 505505. The Thames Valley Police casualty bureau number is 0870 010 0732.
Video:-
See images from the scene of the crash
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3989277.stm#
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3989277.stm