Two passenger trains collided in Britain on Friday evening, causing at least one death and multiple injuries, according to the authorities.
The collision took place about 5:15 p.m. local time near the town of Bedford, in south-central England, officials said, prompting a major emergency response from the police and health workers, according to the transport police.
The police said that one person had been killed as a result of the crash and that “a number of people have been injured,” but did not specify how many.
An operator at Bedford Hospital said by phone that the medical center was preparing for a “major incident” after the collision, but declined to discuss the number of injuries or their severity.
The East England Ambulance Service said it had sent an air ambulance to the scene, and encouraged people to avoid the area. The town is about 45 miles north of London.
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said that reports of the collision were “hugely concerning,” and that his thoughts were with the family of the person who had died and with the others injured.
The trains that collided had both been headed to London St. Pancras, one of England’s busiest train stations. They departed for their destinations about an hour apart, according to a statement by the East Midlands Railway, a British train operating company.
Officials from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said that a team was on site to gather evidence about how the collision happened.
