Watch: Video shows aftermath of train collision north of London
Emergency services rushed to the scene after two trains collided north of London on Friday, disrupting a key rail route linking central London with communities in central England. Videos posted on social media appeared to show the aftermath of the crash.The collision occurred south of Bedford and was reported at about 6.45 pm (local time), prompting a response from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue crews. The Times of London reported that staff at Bedford Hospital had been alerted to potentially receive up to 50 injured people.Shola Mene, who was on one of the trains described the collsion as a “big bang”.“Then people flew from their seats, the seats were pulling, and then someone just flew across and hit my husband in the face,” Mene said, as cited by the BBC.“There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries,” she added.Witness Peter Knapp, who was travelling in the front carriage of one of the trains involved in the collision, described the impact as severe.“I felt like I’d been in a bomb explosion,” he told the BBC.He also described seeing “bloodied faces, people with what appeared to be broken legs, and “smoke everywhere. He also described seeing ambulances, fire engines and police at the scene.The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said it was monitoring the situation following reports of the collision.“We are deeply concerned by reports of a train collision between Bedford and Luton and the serious injuries sustained by on-board train staff and passengers,” a union spokesperson said, as cited by the BBC.“The thoughts of the whole union are with those affected and we continue to monitor the situation.”
