Image source, Eddie MitchellEmergency services have asked people to avoid the area
ByTanya Gupta, Craig Buchan and Daniel Sexton, South East
Twenty people have been injured, two seriously, after a train derailed in East Sussex and a major incident was declared.
Network Rail said the 14:24 BST Southern service from London Victoria to Eastbourne came off the tracks close to Lewes railway station, shortly before 16:00 BST.
Photographs from the scene showed people standing on top of overturned carriages. A passenger who was in the fourth carriage said it derailed from carriage five.
British Transport Police said three carriages derailed, leaving several people trapped. All 150 on board have now been evacuated.
Several rail routes in the area were closed, as emergency teams rushed to the scene and people were advised to avoid the area.
Patients were assessed and treated at the scene, with some sent to local hospitals.
British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Dominique Ioannou gsaid in a press briefing on Thursday night that a number of passengers were initially trapped but were all safely evacuated from the train.
She said while two people sustained serious injuries, a further 18 suffered less serious injuries.
Rob Bradley, who was on the train with his six-year-old daughter, said it was “pandemonium”.
“Our carriage actually jumped upwards and you could tell there was a derailment,” he said.
“The emergency brakes then went on the train and everything got thrown forward.
Watch: ‘My instinct was to grab my six-year-old daughter’, says passenger
“The train kind of skidded for quite a while before it stopped.
“Only then, when we turned around, did we see the whole back of the train was open and smoke and dust were pouring into the carriage.”
He said it was “incredibly hot” on the train because the air conditioning stopped working and no doors or windows were open.
South East Coast Ambulance Service said passengers who did not require hospital treatment had been taken to a local community centre.
Outside the centre, Yana Ludwig, who was travelling alone on the train from London to Lewes, said the experience as “completely terrifying”.
“There was a banging. Everything just went topsy turvy,” the 56-year-old from the United States said.
“It seemed like a really long time but it probably was 10 seconds of that before the carriage actually fell on the side.”
She said she was “pretty banged up”, adding that everyone in the train was checking on their fellow passengers.
“These moments everybody kind of pulls together,” she said.
BTP assistant chief constable Ian Drummond-Smith said: “We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing at the scene, but all passengers on the train have now been safely evacuated from the service.”
He said BTP was working alongside Sussex Police and supporting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to establish what happened.
“This remains a complex and ongoing multi-agency response,” a spokesperson said.
Fire engines, ambulances and police were stationed on Landport Road, in Lewes, alongside a double decker bus by the community hub waiting for passengers to board.
Image source, Eddie MitchellThe train had 150 people on board, South East Coast Ambulance Service said
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it sent 10 fire engines, a command support unit, technical rescue teams and other resources to the scene.
University Hospitals Sussex NHS confirmed it was responding to a major incident.
Image source, John MayPeople were stood on top of the tipped over carriages after the derailment
Passenger John May, from St Leonards, said the service had been “packed”.
He said: “We were coming up here and suddenly the train just started to shift side-to-side and derailed.”
Image source, John MaySome sat next to the side of the track after the derailment having escaped the carriage
He was in the fourth carriage from the rear of the train, he said.
“We were fortunate that we stayed on the embankment. The last three carriages rolled down into the field,” he said.
Image source, John MayA number of the carriages which derailed tumbled into a field next to the railway
He added: “There were a lot of older people and children.”
Oriana Evans, who lives nearby, said she and her son helped passengers as they were led off the train towards the community centre.
“I walked and chatted to some of them in shock really,” the 54-year-old jewellery maker said.
She said they were “really bruised”.
John May, from St Leonards, was on the train when it derailed near Lewes
Network Rail said the derailment had closed all lines running through the station, with major disruption expected until 22:00.
A spokesperson said: “Trains are currently unable to run through the area to allow the emergency services to attend the incident.”
Image source, Rob BradleyCarriages came off the tracks and ended up on their sides
Rail operator Southern has advised passengers not to travel between Brighton, Lewes, Haywards Heath, Seaford and Eastbourne for the rest of the day.
Tickets are being accepted on alternative Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services with rail replacement buses arranged for travel to Lewes and to Haywards Heath.
The railway operator advised those travelling to Gatwick to allow “at least an extra 150 minutes for your journey” or use an alternative route.
Image source, Rob BradleyEmergency services are at the scene
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned”.
She wrote on X: “Grateful to emergency services who are on the scene supporting those impacted.
“We are working quickly with the rail industry and local partners to assist passengers.”
The MP for Eastbourne, Josh Babarinde, said he had heard of one constituent who had suffered rib injuries.
Lewes MP James MacCleary said it was “clearly a very serious and developing incident”, in a post on Facebook.
He said he was in touch with the relevant authorities and would provide further updates as soon as he had more information.
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