TRAINS COLLIDE

Hokitika Guardian, 10 January 1929, Page 5

TRAINS COLLIDE

FOUR KILLED. A OTHERS SERIOUSLY INJURED. (United Press Assocint-ion —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). LONDON, January 9. Two roaches of the Loudon Midland and Scottish Company’s north-hound Brist.ol-Nottiiigham mail train overturned, through a collision with a goods train at Ashchiirch, Gloucoslorsliire. The driver of the express was killed and four passengers were seriously and eleven were slightly injured. The express engine was derailed with a number of coaches, blocking both lines. Ambulances rushed twenty miles from Gloucester to the scene of the accident, which occurred in foggy weather, within twenty miles ol Charfield, where fifteen were killed and thirty injured in a similar collision on the same companies’ line on October 13th.

RESCUE WORK IN FOCI AND DARKNESS. Huge bonfires .from the* wrecked coaches, were lighted to enable parties of doctors and nurses to carry oin rescue wArk in the dense fog and darkness. Three bodies of passengers were discovered amid a tangled mass of ironwork, bringing the death roll to lour. Apparently the express cut clean through the goods train, which was shunting across the track. The carfringes were electrically lighted, and fortunately did not catch fire. The lights in some of the overturned coaches remained burning, assisting the rescuers. One passenger lay for hours under the wreckage, until a rail crane raised a truck from liis crushed foot. Owing to the shortage of ambulances at, Cheltenham, the police commamlpcrod motor hoses to convey the injuied the long distance to the hospital.