UK: SELBY: TRAIN CRASH LATEST (3)

(28 Feb 2001) Natural Sound

A high-speed passenger train collided with a car which derailed and then smashed into an oncoming freight train in northern England on Wednesday morning killing 13 people.

More than 70 other people were injured, according to British Transport Police, as rescue workers continued to struggle to free passengers trapped in the mangled wreckage at Great Heck, a village about 200 miles (320 kms) north of London.

The accident - the fourth fatal crash in 3-and-a-half years - is certain to raise new questions about the safety of the beleaguered British rail system, though there was no early indication that engineer error or equipment failure had played a role.

Police were investigating how the Land Rover and trailer veered off a highway and on to a rail line.

The driver was able to get out of the vehicle and phone police, but too late to stop the passenger train approaching at about 120 mph (190 kph).

The passenger train derailed after hitting the Land Rover, but remained upright until it slammed into an oncoming coal train.

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, went to the accident scene where he praised the efforts by the emergency services.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II have both sent messages of sympathy to the families of the dead and injured.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...