The collision occurred near Elstow, south of Bedford, at around 17:15 on 19 June. It involved two southbound passenger services heading towards London St Pancras.
The trains were the 15:50 service from Nottingham and the 16:40 service from Corby. Both were operated by East Midlands Railway. The carriages largely remained upright following the impact, although images from the scene showed substantial damage where the trains collided.
British Transport Police confirmed that the person who died was the driver of one of the trains. Emergency services reported 11 very seriously injured people, 32 with serious injuries and 57 with minor injuries. A total of 64 people were transported to six hospitals.
By Saturday, 28 people remained in hospital, including nine in critical condition, according to the latest information cited by Reuters.
Passenger Pete Knapp, who was travelling in the front carriage of one of the trains, told the BBC that he had been thrown into the seat in front of him before seeing smoke and hearing people scream.
“When I got up from the collision, it seemed that everyone else around me was screaming and full of blood,” he said. Knapp added that some passengers could not move, while others were coughing or spitting blood. He managed to leave the train and tried to help other people at the scene.
More than 20 ambulances, specialist hazardous-area response teams and six air ambulances were sent to the collision. Police declared a major incident shortly after the crash.
East Midlands Railway suspended services to and from London St Pancras following the accident. The operator expressed condolences to the driver’s family and said it was supporting passengers and employees affected by the collision.
The British Transport Police and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch are investigating the circumstances of the collision. No official conclusion about its cause has yet been published.
