Lewes Derailment: 11 Injured as Southern Railway Carriages Overturn

Images from the scene show three carriages of the London Victoria to Eastbourne service lying on their side, The Independent reports. Around 150 people were on board, and passengers left trapped in the overturned carriages have now been safely evacuated, British Transport Police said. Police, paramedics and fire crews all attended the scene, the Mirror reports, and a major incident was declared.

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Drummond-Smith said: “We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing at the scene.”

Lewes derailment: what we know so far

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned” by the incident, while Lewes MP James MacCleary described it as “a very serious and developing incident”, adding that his “thoughts are with everyone affected”. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a team to establish what happened — the cause has not yet been confirmed.

The crash came as the UK sweltered through its hottest day of the year, with amber heat health alerts in force across England.

Southern has warned of major delays and cancellations until at least 10pm, with no trains running between Brighton and Lewes, while Gatwick passengers have been told to allow at least 150 extra minutes for their journeys.