Nine passengers fight for life as investigators probe why crash train went past signal - as King Charles says he's 'greatly saddened' by driver's death

By ELIZABETH IVENS and TRACEY KANDOHLA, REPORTER Published: 23:53, 20 June 2026 | Updated: 23:54, 20 June 2026 Nine passengers were fighting for their lives on Saturday night after a train crash killed a driver and injured 91 others. The driver died instantly when his Luton Airport Express service ploughed into the back end of a stationary passenger train at 5.15pm on Friday near Bedford. Mobile phone footage showed blood-covered victims on carriage floors and others staggering around a nearby field. One survivor likened the crash impact to 'a bomb explosion' and said most people in his carriage were 'bleeding profusely' or couldn't stand. In all, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 32 were seriously injured and 57 had minor wounds. More than 20 ambulances and six air ambulances attended. Yesterday, the King joined senior politicians including Sir Keir Starmer to offer their condolences. The King was 'greatly saddened' and his 'thoughts and sympathies' were with the family of the deceased and those affected. The cause of the crash, at Elstow, two miles south of Bedford, was still under investigation on Saturday night. The driver of the Luton Airport Express train died instantly when it ploughed into a stationary passenger train near Bedford on Friday The East Midlands Railway (EMR) service is thought to have come to a halt due to a fault with a safety system which warns train drivers if there is a red signal ahead. Both trains – the 4.40pm Corby to London St Pancras and 3.50pm Nottingham to London St Pancras – were operated by EMR. Rail expert Tony Miles, from Modern Railways magazine, said the crash was puzzling 'because if the track is occupied, it shouldn't be possible to clear the signals'. Mr Miles said that while a driver could theoretically decide to cross a red signal if they wanted to, 'they would normally only do that because they had been given permission by a signal box because there was a fault'. He added: 'Obviously it's a rear-end collision, they were going in the same direction, so the rear one was going faster than the one it caught up with for some reason. 'So the question must be how that train has got into contact with the train that it was following. 'It's either gone past a signal that was telling it should stop, or the signal was faulty, or the driver has made a mistake in some way. Over the years, all those different scenarios have happened.' Police chiefs said the response by emergency services was outstanding, and praised locals for their 'immense kindness' to passengers in the crash aftermath. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) was 'devastated to learn that a train driver and former RMT rep has tragically died'. Eddie Dempsey, its general secretary, wrote on X: 'The thoughts of RMT are with their family, friends, colleagues and the Aslef trade union at this awful time.' Nine people were fighting for their lives on Saturday night after the crash, which left 91 injured A passenger on the train that was hit described the scene as 'carnage'. He said there was an 'almighty crash from the rear', but said the impact was felt hardest in the middle section. 'We had to walk through farmers' fields to get to an A-road,' he said. 'There was a huge emergency service presence and loads of air ambulances.' Another passenger, Dr Pete Knapp, said: 'There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were so scared and confused.' He added: 'I don't know if I did the right thing or not, but I got out of the train.' Dr Knapp said a helicopter arrived within about five or ten minutes of the crash. Emergency services staff had to cut through a hedge to reach the casualties. 'So many people had their legs broken, and there was blood everywhere and people crying and screaming,' added Dr Knapp. Another passenger said: 'When I got up I saw all of the chairs everywhere and it felt like I'd been in a bomb explosion. I saw people with bloodied faces and there was smoke everywhere.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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