Passengers evacuated from train in Kent after landslide
13 August 2020, 19:47
A train in Kent was evacuated after it became stuck following a landslide.
All 19 people on board were safely removed from the carriages with support from the Kent Fire and Rescue Service.
The train became stuck between West Malling and Borough Green, and rescue attempts were hindered by localised flooding, Network Rail Kent and Sussex said.
Read more: Tributes paid to three killed in Stonehaven derailment
Emergency services began responding to the incident at around 4.30pm on Thursday after reports the train came to a halt.
In a tweet, the British Transport Police in Kent said: "First indications are that a landslide has occurred which has caused the train not to be able to travel any further."
First indications are that a landslide has occurred which has caused the train not to be able to travel any further. Please rest assured we are doing all we can to sort this and @Se_Railway are looking at alternative travel arrangements for you all. pic.twitter.com/A8m5lSaX3K
— BTP Kent (@BTPKent) August 13, 2020
Train operator Southeastern said the line between Otford and Maidstone East was expected to be closed for the rest of the day after a "train struck some debris on the track".
It follows a tragic derailment of a ScotRail train in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, yesterday morning.
Three people died - including the train driver and the conductor - as the locomotive and three carriages came off the tracks and crashed down into an embankment.
Following the fatal crash, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps ordered Network Rail to carry out an immediate resilience check of any areas hit by recent storms.
He has also requested for the infrastructure operator to provide a full report about the whole UK network, with interim details to him by September.
