A passenger train carrying around 150 people derailed on Thursday afternoon in southern England, with the last three railcars overturning. Twenty people were taken to hospital, two of them with serious injuries. The authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred in the midst of a heatwave.
A serious rail accident occurred on Thursday, 13 August, in the county of East Sussex, near the town of Lewes. The Southern Railway train, which had departed at 14:24 from London Victoria bound for Eastbourne, derailed at around 15:45 on the section between Cooksbridge and Lewes.
The train consisted of eight railcars and was carrying approximately 150 people. The last three railcars came off the tracks, and some of them overturned onto their sides, with one ending up partially on the embankment.
Several passengers were initially trapped on the train, but all were subsequently evacuated safely. The British railway police, the fire service, ambulance services and air ambulance crews were all involved in the operation.
20 people were taken to hospital
The figures were updated during the evening and on Friday morning. 18 people were taken to hospital by the ambulance service, whilst a further two went to medical facilities themselves, bringing the total number of people taken to hospital to 20.
Two of the victims suffered serious injuries and were transferred to specialist centres for major trauma. The others suffered injuries considered less serious.
Initially, the police had reported two people seriously injured and a further nine with minor injuries, which explains the lower figures given in the first reports of the accident.
“Everything was turned upside down”
Passengers described the moments of the derailment as terrifying.
Yana Ludwig, a 56-year-old American travelling from London to Lewes, said she first heard loud noises, after which the railcar she was in began to overturn.
She said the whole sequence seemed to last a very long time, although it probably only lasted about ten seconds, and after the train came to a halt she found herself being supported by another passenger. Passengers began checking on one another and helping each other until the emergency services arrived.
Another passenger, Rob Bradley, who was travelling with his six-year-old daughter, said the train had started to sway before derailing. The railcar he was in reportedly jolted upwards, after which the emergency braking sent passengers’ luggage and belongings flying forward. Neither he nor his daughter were injured.
The cause has not yet been established. The accident occurred during a heatwave
the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), the independent British body that investigates rail accidents, has sent inspectors to the scene of the derailment and has begun gathering evidence.
For the time being, the authorities have insisted that it is too early to determine the cause. Network Rail and the operator Southern are cooperating with the investigators, and representatives of the rail sector have refused to speculate on the reason for the derailment until technical analyses have been carried out.
However, the accident occurred during a severe heatwave, with temperatures in the Lewes area exceeding 30°C on Thursday. Footage taken after the accident appears to show significant track deformation behind the train, but there is as yet no official conclusion that high temperatures caused the derailment.
Extremely high temperatures can cause the rails to expand and, under certain conditions, the track to warp, which is why British operators impose speed restrictions during heatwaves.
Rail services remain disrupted
The section between Haywards Heath and Lewes remained closed on Friday morning to allow investigators and technical teams to work at the scene of the accident. The operator Southern has warned that disruption will continue, and trains in the area are being cancelled or diverted.
The UK Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, expressed deep concern about the accident and stated that the department is working with the rail industry and local authorities to support affected passengers.
Second serious rail accident in less than two months
The derailment in East Sussex comes less than two months after a far more serious rail accident near Bedford on 19 June.
On that occasion, two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided at Elstow, approximately 4 km south of Bedford station. The driver of one of the trains died, and 162 people were injured, 102 of whom required hospital treatment, according to figures subsequently published by the RAIB. Both trains partially derailed.
The investigation into Thursday’s accident near Lewes is ongoing, and the RAIB has not yet announced the cause of the derailment.
Share on:
