NEWS: Train Derailment Near Reading, UK

At around 18:35 GMT the 1735 service from London Paddington to Plymouth derailed, emergency services are attending.



A Thames Valley spokesman said that there were fatalities and that a sognificant number of passengers are still trapped. The train is reported to derailed after striking a vehicle at an unmanned rail crossing. It is believed that at least nine carriages have derailed after colliding with the vehicle at between an estimated 90 to 100 MPH.

Related News Links:
www.reuters.co.uk

[edit on 6-11-2004 by John bull 1]

I live in Reading.This is terrible news...

It is now being reported that six people have died, eleven serious injured have been taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and the North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke, these are being described as critical.

More details here, here and here

Three hundred people were aboard the eight carriages of the high-speed passenger train which completely derailed. The scene is now said to be 'clear of patients'.

My daughter has just returned from a bonfire in the locality and said that roads around the area were still closed.

The cause of the accident is said to be a collision with a car at an 'automatic' level crossing with half barriers across the road, causing the train, operated by First Great Western, to leave the rails completely.

Police are confident that there are no victims remaining in the wreckage and although still checking fields surrounding the crash site for any walking wounded, they believe all those involved have been accounted for.

This is awfull news, I live near this aswell, And at the moment my dad is there helping as he is a rail welder,

My prayers are with all there at this time












[edit on 6-11-2004 by asala]

BBC say "Six confirmed dead"
quote: One eyewitness described the train like a "twisted baguette"

[edit on 2004/11/6 by Hellmutt]

this isnt big supprise.
the rail network in england is gay
just a day ago it showed a documentary on the bbc how 3 reporters
done the following



1. all three got jobs so easily ( they had no experiance of course )
1 got a job without taking the exam for the card the other 2 had to take this exam

2. how a person from india that could barely speak english was able to cheat right under the person who was watching them take the test for the
card ( which allows them to work on the rails )

3. showed how one reporter who tried to fail on purpose was called back into the room and told the answeers to questions to pass.

4. even when their permission Cards ran out they were allowd to work
on the rails

5. showed how ( those things that keep tracks on the ground )
were loose in some area's of the track and how the compnay never did come around and sort it ( this was around a bend where trains go around 80 miles per hour )


things are said that the rail network will improve and how the goverment will make it safer and so on

Yep the rail network needs some work,

But the point of this crash is that it was a train hit a car on a level crossing

From what i know about this level crossing is that there is a slight gap that a car can get through even when the level is down,

Things like this need to be looked at and how to prevent cars from doing this,

A policeofficer who was off duty have seen the car drive in front of the train and stop "on purpose". Some speculate it might have been a suicide.

EDIT:
I found BBC has a story on this:
BBC: Policeman witnessed train crash
And the death toll is now seven...

[edit on 2004/11/7 by Hellmutt]

The death toll is now 7 people and 1 has been confirmed as a child of 9yrs old and also her mother,

Skynews link