One dead, dozens injured after two trains collide in UK

One person has died and dozens were injured, 11 of them “very seriously,” after two passenger trains collided north of London on Friday, UK emergency services say.

The crash occurred late afternoon near Bedford, a town around 56 miles (90 kilometers) north of the UK capital, and involved two London-bound trains on the same track, according to East Midlands Railway (EMR).

Video footage of the immediate aftermath of the train collision in Bedford

This was recorded by passenger Dr. Pete Knapp pic.twitter.com/PrMdyRMOKd

— Basil the Great (@BasilTheGreat) June 19, 2026

“There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were so scared and confused,” passenger Pete Knapp tells the Press Association news agency.

“I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs,” he adds.

In an update nearly five hours after the collision, the East of England Ambulance Service confirms one person died at the scene.

“A further 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured, and a further 56 people had minor injuries,” it adds.

“Those with minor injuries were treated at the scene or taken to hospital where needed.”

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch, which probes such incidents on UK tramways and railways, says a team of its inspectors was on site “to start gathering evidence.”