Emergency teams swing into action

SELBY, England -- Seven hospitals in North and West Yorkshire have put emergency plans into operation following the rail tragedy near Selby.

Nigel Metcalfe, Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesman, said people were suffering from "every kind of injury you can imagine" and there were "a vast number of fractures."

A makeshift hospital was set up in a barn of a nearby farm so that people could be treated before being taken to hospital by helicopter or ambulance.

REFERENCE Selby Train Crash   •  Collision map   •  Motorist's 999 call   •  'Like a bomb'   •  Emergency response   •  The day in quotes   •  Official reaction   •  Blow to UK railroads   •  Rail company statement   •  UK rail crash timeline

At least 56 people were taken to hospitals, said Bob Schofield, spokesman for the National Health Service.

Casualties taken to hospitals in the surrounding area included 31 to Pontefract General Infirmary, 15 to York District Hospital, two to Leeds General Infirmary and nine to Pinderfields General Hospital in Wakefield.

A hospital spokesperson for Doncaster Royal Infirmary said: "We have three casualties and of them one is critically injured and another is seriously injured."

Mike Playforth, a consultant at Pontefract General Infirmary, said that of the 31 passengers admitted to the hospital "four have serious injuries, one of whom is in the operating theatre in a life threatening condition."

Three of the most seriously injured casualties taken to Pontefract Infirmary have been moved to Leeds General, St James hospital, also in Leeds, and Pinderfields in Wakefield. Their conditions are reported to be life threatening.

Playforth said the injured did not include children.

Dr David Hall, who was on call at the time of the accident, said: "This is the first time I have had to deal with something like this and thankfully these major incidents are few and far between, but it's something you all train for and when it happens you deal with it."

Seven people are still in accident and emergency units undergoing treatment at Pontefract.

Pinderfields hospital has admitted nine casualties with a combination of injuries. Some of the admissions were treated for cuts and bruises and have now been discharged.

Hospitals are trying to contact relatives of the casualties admitted.

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