Two die in UK train crash

There are fears some people are still trapped inside the wreckage

LONDON, England -- Two people have died and several others have been injured after a freight train and a high-speed passenger service were involved in an accident.

There are unconfirmed reports that up to 15 people may have died.

British Transport Police said the crash happened around 0620 GMT on Wednesday at Great Heck just south of Selby, North Yorkshire, northern England, on the East Coast main line.

The 4.45 a.m. (0445 GMT) Newcastle to London train is believed to have derailed in the accident, with all nine coaches landing on their side, some in nearby gardens.

Around 60 people are believed to be trapped.

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Emergency services are investigating reports that a Land Rover jeep and trailer was also involved in the accident after sliding off a road bridge in the snow.

The freight train carrying cement is thought to have hit the jeep, dragging it for about 250 metres (750 ft) before the collision with the passenger train.

North Yorkshire fire service described the accident as a "major incident". A spokesman added: "Casualties have been reported."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said emergency services were at the scene.

Gary Young, spokesman for British Transport Police, told CNN: "There are reports of numerous casualties. It appears the freight train hit the vehicle (which had come off a motorway bridge), which then ploughed onto an adjoining line and was in collision with the passenger train."

He added that it was difficult to assess how much the weather was to blame, if at all.

A spokesman for Humberside Fire Service, said: "The number of casualties is so large that they have set up a triage area on an adjacent farm so that people can be treated before they are taken to hospital by helicopter or ambulance.

Attempts to calculate the number of casualties had been hampered because each carriage had been disfigured as a result of the crash.

"It's not simple getting into the carriages because they have all been deformed."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Railtrack
Great North Eastern Railway

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