A Southern Rail passenger train derailed Thursday outside the town of Lewes in southern England, with at least three carriages overturned, according to a joint statement from Southern Rail and Network Rail. Emergency services including ambulances and three helicopters responded to the scene.
Passenger train derails in southern England, leaving at least three cars on their sides
A Southern Rail passenger train derailed Thursday outside the town of Lewes in southern England, with at least three carriages overturned, according to a joint statement from Southern Rail and Network Rail. Emergency services including ambulances and three helicopters responded to the scene.
The train was travelling from Victoria station in London to Eastbourne when it derailed, Southern Rail and Network Rail said.
Aerial footage showed firefighters and paramedics attending to passengers in a field beside the derailed train. There were no immediate official reports of injuries.
Passenger Rob Bradley told the BBC that the train began rocking as it picked up speed, after which the carriage he was riding in with his 6-year-old daughter jumped upward and the brakes immediately engaged. 'Everything got thrown forward. My laptop, my AirPods, our bags,' Bradley said. 'The train kind of skidded for quite a while before it stopped and only then when we turned around did we see that the whole back of the train — literally where we were sat — was open and there was smoke and dust pouring into the carriage.'
Bradley said he saw that the car behind his had flipped onto its side and slid down an embankment into a lower field. He said he and his daughter were uninjured but that he could see passengers in one of the flipped cars with blood on their heads and clothing. He said another passenger told him they had been cut when a window shattered.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on X that she was 'deeply concerned of reports of a derailment involving a Southern train' and expressed gratitude to emergency services at the scene.
- The source does not state the cause of the derailment.
- The source does not provide an official count of injuries or a statement on the condition of those treated at the scene.
- The source does not state how many passengers were on board the train at the time of the derailment.
- The source does not state the total number of carriages in the train or which specific carriages overturned.
- The source does not state whether an investigation has been opened or which authority would lead it.
Read the original at Associated Press