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Eighteen injured in train collision in England

Eighteen people have been injured after a collision between two trains at Plymouth railway statio...
Newstalk
Newstalk

17.22 3 Apr 2016


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Eighteen injured in train coll...

Eighteen injured in train collision in England

Newstalk
Newstalk

17.22 3 Apr 2016


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Eighteen people have been injured after a collision between two trains at Plymouth railway station.

Emergency services were called to the scene after the two passenger services were involved in a "low-speed" collision on platform six at around 3.30pm on Sunday.

Eyewitness described hearing a "huge bang" and said passengers were thrown forward by the impact.

A spokeswoman for South West Coast Ambulance Service said all eighteen casualties, which include the driver of one of the trains, are reported to be in a stable condition.

She added: "The majority of those are walking wounded and eight of those are going to Derriford hospital in Plymouth."

Devon and Somerset fire service said they had helped ambulance crews and the British Transport Police in treating people with "various injuries", but no one had been trapped.

Dominic Parnell, from Cornwall, was on board the moving train when it collided with the one in front.

He said: "We were travelling fairly slowly as we were arriving at the platform when we came to a sudden stop with a huge bang. Of course, most people were stood up waiting to alight and were thrown forward. No one appeared to be injured in my immediate area."

A spokesman for the British Transport Police said: "A number of people, including the driver of one of the trains, have sustained injuries as a result of the collision and are being treated by paramedics at the scene. At this stage we believe that a moving train collided into the back of a stationary train on platform six at the station and we are currently looking into the circumstances to determine how this happened."

The crash is likely to cause delays to train journeys in the Plymouth area, he added.

Great Western Railway said it is investigating the cause of the incident.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), said the crash was a "sober reminder" of the importance of rail safety.

He said: "Our first thoughts are of course with those hurt in this accident. It is far too early to speculate why today's crash happened and an investigation into its causes will now take place. However, it is a sober reminder of how critical safety is for our industry and thanks to the efforts of our hardworking and dedicated staff unfortunate incidents like this sad one are actually so rare."

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