One dead in train collision north of London

TT

Updated 22.37 | Published 20.03 

 

One person has been confirmed dead after a train collision in Bedford north of London. Photo: Jordan Reynolds/AP/TT

At least one person has died after two passenger trains collided north of London in England on Friday evening, British police say.

"We know that a number of people have been injured and that one person has tragically died," British police wrote in a statement, reports the BBC. A major rescue operation has been underway in the Bedford area since just after 7pm on Friday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer writes on platform X that he views the accident very seriously and that his "thoughts are with the deceased person's relatives".

Eyewitness Peter Knapp was evacuated from one of the trains involved. He told the BBC that the collision felt like “something had exploded” and that he had seen several people with injuries at the scene.

Pictures posted on social media show damage to train carriages and partially derailed trains along the railway.

All traffic on the route between Luton and Bedford has been stopped and the public is urged to avoid the area and refrain from travelling, train operator Thameslink said in a statement, according to the BBC.

The train route north of London is otherwise heavily trafficked.