Experts probe UK train smash

Police have ruled out the possibility of a terrorist act

In this story: 'Too early for speculation' Train roof ripped off RELATED STORIES, SITES

HATFIELD, England -- Police and civil investigations have been launched into the cause of a high-speed train crash, which killed four passengers.

Police say there are three possible causes, including vandalism and a mechanical fault, for the cause of the derailment on Tuesday of the London to Leeds train at more than 100mph.

Terrorism has been ruled out but police say they are keeping an open mind towards the other possible causes.

Four people remained in hospital on Wednesday, one with serious injuries, after the crash which is the latest in a series of accident on the UK's rail network that has left more than 30 people dead in a year.

ALSO History of British rail tragedies

Up to 34 people were injured when sections of the 1210 (1110 GMT) train heading to Leeds from the capital's King's Cross station careered off the track near Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

The north-south rail line is expected to remain closed while the wrecked carriages, some of which turned on to their side, are removed and police search the area.

Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) Chief Executive Christopher Garnett said floodlights would be used allowing work to continue through the night.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has expressed sympathy to families and friends of the victims and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who has special responsibility for transport, announced that he was cutting short a visit to China to oversee the investigation.

"The prime minister is obviously deeply saddened by the deaths and injuries caused by the accident," said a spokesman for Blair.

The crash of the 11-carriage Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) train happened near Hatfield, about 30 miles (50 km) north of the capital, at a speed of 115 mph.

Seven of the train's nine passenger cars left the track and at least three carriages, including the buffet car, overturned.

The driver of the train was unhurt.

The focus of the investigation shifted to vandalism or technical failure

Garnett said at this point GNER, a subsidiary of Bermuda-based Sea Containers, did not know what caused the crash and had heard "absolutely no information" about the threats and had received no calls itself.

The company said there were no reports of the train striking anything.

A spokesman for Railtrack, which runs Britain's rail infrastructure, also said it was too early to speculate what may have caused the crash. Shares in the company closed eight percent down.

A television reporter on the train at the time of the crash said: "The train has crashed really very seriously. Three or four carriages of the train have been very, very badly damaged. The restaurant car had its roof ripped off."

Around 60 firefighters worked at the scene of the accident, using cutting equipment to free passengers, some of who were trapped in the wreckage for more than an hour.

Three of the injured passengers were in serious condition, according to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in nearby Welwyn Garden City.

One woman suffered a broken rib and punctured lung, while a man sustained a broken leg and another woman was being treated for a fractured spine.

Police revised downward the number of people on the train to between 100 and 200 after earlier reports of up to 600.

The derailment is the latest to hit Britain's rail network after a series of accidents that have sapped public confidence.

Earlier on Tuesday, a train hit a bus on a level crossing west of London, leaving two people in shock.

In 1998, a train left the same track 25 miles further north of London. Nine people were hurt.

A year ago, 31 people died in a crash near London's Paddington station. It was Britain's worst rail crash for a decade. Another seven people were killed on the same stretch of track at Southall in 1997.

An emergency helpline for anyone concerned about relatives or friends who may have been travelling on the train involved in the Hatfield accident has been set up: 0845 944 1551.

History of tragedy of Britain's railways
October 17, 2000
London rail crash remembered, one year on
October 5, 2000

Great North Eastern Railway
Railtrack
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