Passengers describe horror of UK train crash as one dead and 90 injured

Passengers were left covered in blood and with broken bones after two trains collided near Bedford.

On Friday afternoon (19 June), police confirmed that two passenger trains had collided just outside of Bedford, around 56 miles north of London.

One of the drivers was killed in the collision, while 90 passengers and staff members on board the train were injured. According to British Transport Police, 33 of those were taken to hospital, 11 with serious injuries, while 56 people were treated for their injuries at the scene.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

Passengers on board the two trains have since come forward to share their recollections of the incident, with one woman telling the BBC that she saw people lying on the floor and blood everywhere in the aftermath of the crash.

One of the train drivers has died in the crash, while 90 others were injured (PA)

"We left Bedford station, and there was a massive bang... I didn't know what was going on; my head hit the seat in front of me," passenger Teresa Itabor explained.

Itabor, who was travelling to London to celebrate her birthday, had her eyes closed at the time of the collision, opening them to see other passengers on the floor.

"I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere," she added.

Another passenger travelling in the front of the train described the aftermath of the crash as looking like a 'bomb explosion', telling the broadcaster that he saw people with 'bloodied faces' and what appeared to be broken legs.

"I saw all of the chairs everywhere. It felt like I'd been in a bomb explosion," the passenger, named Dr Peter Knapp, said.

"I didn’t hear any explosions or slowing down of the train. Some people were spitting out blood. Lots of people are sat down. I can’t sit down because my back hurts so much."

Meanwhile, university student Qunnie Wu told The Sun that she'd seen passengers with blood coming from their eyes, nose and mouth.

"I was on the train and there was a very strong crash," the 24-year-old said.

An investigation is underway (PA)

A close up of the collision, shared on Reddit (Reddit)

"Everyone involved was very badly hurt. Some people had blood coming from eyes, nose and mouth.

"People were screaming and crying. They were screaming for help. When I cried, a lot of people came to comfort me," she continued.

"Staff on the train came to comfort me to tell me it will all be ok. I was so scared. Of course it hurts but it’s not as bad as some people."

Another passenger on board, named Brett Byatt, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was among three or four people in his carriage who were not injured.

"Everyone else had either a serious wound that was bleeding profusely, or a situation where they couldn’t stand, or couldn’t move their neck, or I saw a woman’s snapped leg," he said.