United Kingdom: incredible string of bad luck causes fatal train crash

In an incredible string of isolated incidents, an InterCity express train was derailed, causing 13 confirmed deaths and 70 injuries, according to latest reports. The cause of the accident was a Land Rover which lost control and spun off a motorway onto the line. As the driver went to call the emergency services, the express train appeared and crashed into the vehicle. By an unfortunate coincidence, a goods train carrying hundreds of tonnes of coal was passing on the other line. The passenger train, derailed by the first collision with the land Rover, careered off the rails and crashed into the side of the goods train. The front carriages were crushed and it is presumed that most of the victims were in these. The United Kingdom has been the victim of numerous rail disasters in recent years, due mainly to years of under-funding. However, today’s incident bore no relation whatsoever to the state of the railway system – it was pure bad luck. The government of Tony Blair has been assailed by a storm of events outside the government’s control, as the country gears up towards its parliamentary elections. It will be remembered that the current outbreak of foot and mouth disease is the worst in the country’s history and is threatening to get out of control, despite the government having taken all the measures it could to prevent the outbreak spreading. As for today’s accident, Pravda.Ru would like to extend its condolences to all those families involved.

JOHN ASHTEAD PRAVDA.RU LONDON