Passenger train derails and 11 people injured after carriages overturn in southern England

A passenger train derailed in southern England on Thursday, causing significant injury to two people and minor injuries to nine others, according to the British Transport Police. The Southern Rail train, which was traveling from Victoria station in London to Eastbourne, carried approximately 150 passengers when it went off the tracks near the tourist town of Lewes.

The incident occurred as the train was picking up speed, causing it to rock and the carriage a passenger was in to abruptly lift and the brakes to engage forcefully.

Witness Rob Bradley described the chaos to the BBC, recounting how his laptop, AirPods, and bags were thrown forward as the train skidded before coming to a stop. When the train turned around, Bradley witnessed the entire back section of the train, where he was seated, being open with smoke and dust filling the carriage. He also saw the car behind flip onto its side and slide down an embankment into a lower field.

Bradley and his 6-year-old daughter emerged unharmed but noticed other passengers, particularly from one of the overturned cars, with blood on their heads and clothing. Reports indicated that a window had shattered, causing injury to someone who had been cut.

Aerial footage captured firefighters and paramedics treating injured passengers in a field adjacent to the train, with several ambulances and three helicopters on standby. All passengers were successfully evacuated within approximately three hours following the incident. The British Transport Police are currently investigating the cause of the derailment.