13 dead in Yorkshire train crash

Rescue workers carry a crash victim from the wreckage

Tonight thirteen people are dead and incredibly, 70 managed to survive Britain's fastest train collision to date.

The government's promised a swift inquiry into the accident but already much is known about the unlikely chain of events that led to this disaster.

The crash

When a GNER passenger train left Newcastle bound for London at quarter to five this morning, over a hundred people were on board.

As the train reached a point near Great Heck near Selby in Yorkshire, a Landrover travelling west on the M62 motorway parallel to the rail track left the road, plunged down the embankment and came to rest on the tracks.

Wreckage on the tracks at Great Heck

Despite the drop and the impact of the crash, the 36 year old driver not only emerged uninjured, he had the presence of mind to use his mobile phone to warn the police that his car was now blocking the east coast line.

However, his call was too late to stop the GNER train, travelling at 125 miles per hour. The passenger train hit the Landrover, and continued to travel forward.

Second impact

At this point, the train was still upright, although veering over. Seconds later, heading in the other direction on the track, came a freight train carrying coal - it was unable to avoid the oncoming passenger train and both collided at a speed estimated to have been around 150mph.

It was utter chaos

Raymond Brindley

The impact thrust 9 of the passenger train's coaches off the rails - some of the freight train's coaches were also derailed.

Casualties

Thirteen people died in the train crash. There were 40 "walking wounded" and 31 admitted to hospital. Of these, five were admitted to Pontefract General Infirmary, two were transferred to Leeds, seven were still being assessed to see how serious their injuries were, one was being operated on and the remainder were thought to have minor injuries.

Industry hit again

The accident comes at a sensitive time for the rail industry which was struggling to recover from the Hatfield crash where four people died.

Ironically it's emerged that the GNER locomotive on the passenger train in today's disaster was also involved in the Hatfield crash, in October last year.

A spokesman dismissed this as a co-incidence that had no material effect on the accident.

Reaction

The Queen has asked for her "deepest sympathy" to be passed to the families and friends of all those who have died and to those who have been injured.

Prescott visited the crash site today

This afternoon the mood was understandably sombre and almost party politics-free at the beginning of Prime Minister's question time in the House of Commons. Tony Blair said that all MPs had been shocked by the accident.

The vicar of Selby Abbey, the Reverend Keith Jukes, was one of those at the scene of the crash this morning.

He told PM how he'd first heard of the incident on local radio and had headed straight to the accident to offer comfort where he could.

Rescue operation

Around a hundred and fifty fire fighters were at the scene of the crash today, trying to free those trapped in the wreckage.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and the families of those who have been killed

Tony Blair

This afternoon, Terry Glover from the North Yorkshire Fire Brigade confirmed that there were no-one left alive inside the wreckage, and that the focus of their task had changed to the recovery of bodies.

The Police are now investigating just how the Landrover and trailer veered off a highway and on to a rail line.

Chief Superintendent Gary Barnett, of North Yorkshire police, is co-ordinating the rescue operations. His priority now is the recovery of bodies, which will be followed by investigation of the physical circumstances of the crash.