What we know so far about Bedford train crash

Two passenger trains have collided in the Bedford area, leaving a number of passengers and crew hurt.

Emergency crews are on the scene after the crash happened between two East Midlands Railway (EMR) services at 17.12 BST.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "deeply concerned" by reports of the collision, while the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said passengers and staff had sustained "serious injuries".

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue crews are attending the site just south of Bedford and the service asked people to avoid the location while they worked at the scene.

British Transport Police announced just before 18:45 BST it was responding to reports of a collision near Bedford.

Rail service Thameslink reported lines between Luton and Bedford had been blocked since around 17:30 BST.

A passenger who was on board one of the trains, who spoke to the BBC, said the collision happened at 17:12 BST.

The collision happened just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6 and both trains are still on the track.

Family and friends of passengers have been told not to go the scene by police.

It has been claimed one of the trains hit another that was either stationary or moving slowly in front of it on the same line.

Passenger Peter Knapp said others on his train saw one ahead of them before the crash.

He told BBC News: "I felt like I'd been in a bomb explosion."

Knapp described seeing "bloodied faces", people with what appeared to be broken legs, and "smoke everywhere".

Another passenger told the BBC that people flew out of their seats in the crash, including someone who hit her husband in the face.

"There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries," Shola Mene said.

The RMT union said it had received reports that passengers and onboard train staff have sustained what it described as "serious injuries".

The Rail Accident Investigation branch said it was in Bedford trying to find out exactly what had happened.

It said in a statement on X: "A team of RAIB inspectors is on site at the scene of a collision between two trains near Elstow, to start gathering evidence."

East Midlands Railway has confirmed two of its trains were involved in the collision.

A spokesperson said: "The 16:40 EMR train from Corby to London St Pancras has been involved in a collision with 15:50 Nottingham [to] London St Pancras, at Bedford South.

"We are currently on the scene and working with Network Rail to assist the emergency services.

"Further updates will be provided as soon as more information is established."