3 dead after passenger train derails in Scotland

Dublin, Aug 13 (IANS) Three people have died after a passenger train derailed in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, it was reported.

The derailment involving the 06:38 ScotRail service from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street took place on Wednesday, the BBC reported.

According to ScotRail, the train hit a landslide after heavy rain and thunderstorms which caused flooding and travel disruption across Scotland.

A major incident was declared and about 30 emergency service vehicles were called to the scene.

The victims comprised the driver, conductor and a passenger.

Six people have been taken to hospital but their injuries are not believed to be serious.

The Queen issued a message of condolence following the crash, saying “it was with great sadness that I heard of the train derailment”, the BBC reported.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed her “deepest condolences” to the loved ones of those who lost their lives in the “tragic incident”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC the crash was especially shocking because “these accidents on the railways are thankfully so rare”.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he would visit the site on Thursday “to try to understand the situation first hand and offer every possible assistance”.

The most recent multiple fatalities on the UK’s railways were in South Wales in 2019, when two railway workers died after being struck by a Great Western train near Port Talbot. They were working without a lookout.

–IANS

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