LONDON – At least three people have been killed, including the driver, after a passenger train crashed in Scotland on Wednesday. The country declared a major incident when aerial photographs showed vehicles overturned and piled on top of each other on a steep forest slope, and black smoke rose from the countryside.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of paramedics, we can confirm that three people have been pronounced dead at the scene,” he said. British transport police said in a statement, after a ScotRail train traveling from Aberdeen to Glasgow derailed near the town of Stonehaven, on the east coast of Scotland.
Police said six people were also taken to hospital to be treated for non-serious injuries.
“This is a tragic incident,” said Chief Superintendent Eddie Wylie.
“I would like to reassure the public that this was not a busy service, and from CCTV surveys and witness statements we believe all passengers are responsible.”
Wylie added that once the area was safe, an in-depth search would begin, and an investigation would be conducted into the circumstances of the dismissal.
“My deepest condolences are to the loved ones of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident,” said the Prime Minister of Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon, said on Twitter, asking friends and family of those involved to contact a helpline for support.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said he was “saddened to learn of the very serious incident in Aberdeenshire,” and thanked the emergency services.
While the US Ambassador to Britain Robert “Woody” Johnson also shared his sympathy online.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said in a statement that a medical helicopter was on the scene, along with six ambulances and special response teams.
Stonehaven, a port city with a population of about 11,000, is located on the east coast of Scotland, about 9 miles south of the oil town of Aberdeen.
The area has seen bad weather and heavy rain and flooding in recent days.
Network Rail, which owns and operates most of Britain’s rail infrastructure, said it was too early to determine the cause of the dismissal.
“It is too early to confirm the exact nature and seriousness of the incident and more details will be announced sometime.”
Britain’s Minister of Transport, Grant Shapps, said he had urgently met with Network Rail for a briefing on the dismissal and said the “UK government will provide any support”.
Britain has one of the lowest rates of fatal rail accidents, according to Eurostat data.
The worst rail disasters in Britain in recent decades were a 1999 collision between two trains in London, in which 31 people died, and a 2001 accident at Selby in Yorkshire, north-east England, in which 10 people died, after a car on the track ran.
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Aberdeen is the third largest city in Scotland by population and one of its richest, and serves as a hub for the North Sea oil industry.
On Wednesday, new coronavirus restrictions were placed on Aberdeen by the Scottish Government, pubs and restaurants were closed and visitors were instructed to stay away, which some say could account for the relatively low passenger numbers on the train.
“The railway in Scotland is often referred to as a family, and it is one that hurts today,” said Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, in a statement. statement.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Matteo Moschella contributed.
