Two seriously hurt as passenger train derails

Passengers Describe Chaos as Southern Train Derails Near Lewes Station

Constantvpn.com – A Southern rail service traveling from London Victoria to Eastbourne experienced a dramatic derailment in East Sussex, leaving twenty people injured and prompting officials to declare a major incident. The accident occurred shortly before 16:00 BST when the 14:24 train came off the tracks in the vicinity of Lewes railway station.

Photographic evidence captured at the scene revealed passengers standing atop overturned carriages, while eyewitnesses described scenes of “pandemonium” aboard the train. British Transport Police confirmed that three carriages derailed, with several individuals initially trapped inside before all 150 passengers were successfully evacuated.

Immediate Aftermath and Emergency Response

Emergency teams converged rapidly on the location, with multiple rail routes in the area temporarily closed as authorities worked to ensure passenger safety. Patients received on-site assessments and treatment, with some transported to local hospitals while others were taken to a nearby community centre for those not requiring hospitalization.

“My instinct was to grab my six-year-old daughter,” said one passenger describing the moment of impact.

British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Dominique Ioannou provided details during a Thursday evening press briefing, noting that while two passengers sustained serious injuries, eighteen others suffered less severe wounds. She emphasized that all initially trapped passengers had been safely removed from the train.

Passenger Accounts of the Incident

Passenger Rachel Heath recounted the terrifying sequence of events that unfolded. “The train started rocking violently and then I remember clocking eyes with this guy and then there was a lot of screaming,” she explained. “It felt like we flew in the air and the carriage landed on its side and it slid. I felt like it was going to completely flip over.”

“There was a mum who was bleeding from her mouth and a dad and his son who had cuts. It was like a movie,” Heath added, noting that “everyone had jelly legs” following the ordeal.

Rob Bradley, traveling with his young daughter, described the experience as chaotic. “Our carriage actually jumped upwards and you could tell there was a derailment,” he said. “The emergency brakes then went on the train and everything got thrown forward. The train kind of skidded for quite a while before it stopped.”

“Only then, when we turned around, did we see the whole back of the train was open and smoke and dust were pouring into the carriage,” Bradley recalled. He noted that conditions became “incredibly hot” as the air conditioning failed and ventilation was compromised.

Yana Ludwig, a 56-year-old American passenger traveling solo from London to Lewes, characterized the experience as “completely terrifying.” “There was a banging. Everything just went topsy turvy,” she said. “It seemed like a really long time but it probably was 10 seconds of that before the carriage actually fell on the side.” She described herself as “pretty banged up” but noted that passengers looked out for one another. “These moments everybody kind of pulls together,” she observed.

Investigation and Ongoing Response

Network Rail declined to speculate on the cause of the derailment at this stage. “I would like to reassure everyone that we are working closely with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, who are on site to establish exactly what has happened,” stated Lucy McAuliffe from Network Rail.

BTP assistant chief constable Ian Drummond-Smith confirmed the scale of the emergency response. “We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing at the scene, but all passengers on the train have now been safely evacuated from the service,” he said. A spokesperson added that this remains “a complex and ongoing multi-agency response.”

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service deployed ten fire engines, a command support unit, and technical rescue teams to the location. Fire engines, ambulances, and police vehicles were positioned on Landport Road in Lewes, with a double-decker bus stationed near the community hub to transport passengers. University Hospitals Sussex NHS confirmed it was responding to the major incident.

Passenger John May from St Leonards described the service as “packed” at the time of the derailment. “We were coming up here and suddenly the train just started to shift side-to-side and derailed,” he said. He was seated in the fourth carriage from the rear and noted that his section remained on the embankment while the final three carriages rolled into a field below.

Rail services in the area are expected to face disruption as investigators examine the scene and authorities work to restore normal operations. The full extent of damage to the carriages and track infrastructure is still being assessed.