Minibus crash dead identified

Investigators at the scene of the crash

The victims of a crash between a high speed express train and a minibus in Worcestershire have been named by police.

Three immigrant agricultural workers were killed instantly when the minibus they were in collided with the 0703 BST Great Western train from Hereford to London on 7 July.

Five others were injured, three seriously, in the incident which happened at Pools Crossing, Ryden Lane, at Charlton between Pershore and Evesham.

British Transport Police had difficulty identifying the dead men because the agricultural workers did not know each other and were of various nationalities including Asian, Somali and Iraqi.

Interview driver

But on Tuesday they were named as 28-year-old Satish Kumar Bakshi, from India, Islam Uddin Ahmed, aged 46, from Bangladesh and Soran Karim, 23, from Iraq.

Mr Bakshi and Mr Ahmed were both living in Birmingham at the time of their deaths.

An inquest into their deaths will be opened at Worcestershire County Coroners court on Thursday.

Last week, West Mercia Police said they would interview the 25-year-old driver of the minibus when he is released from hospital.

Concerns have been raised by a number of local residents that foreign workers are using the region's roads without a valid driving licence.

British Transport Police say drivers crossing the line in Worcestershire were supposed to use a special phone to check no trains are coming, but the phone was not used prior to the crash.