One man has died and 33 people have been injured after a train carrying highly toxic chemicals derailed in Ghent, Belgium, according to Belgian news site Nieuwsblad.
The train was carrying highly toxic chemicals from the Netherlands to the seaport in Ghent, Belgium. Credit: Reuters
Around 500 locals in the Wetteren area were forced to evacuate their homes after six of the train's 13 cars derailed on Friday, unleashing toxic fumes from the highly flammable liquid chemicals it was transporting from the Netherlands to Ghent's seaport.
Initial reports suggested there were two fatalities but authorities later revised this figure.
It is believed the victims were not near the train when the crash occurred and Belgium's interior minister Joelle Milquet blamed the toxic fumes from chemicals including cyanide.
One person died and 33 more were injured after the train derailed in Ghent, Belgium. Credit: Reuters
"In the future, the big companies are going to put only one pilot in the cockpit to save money, and that is what did happen here. They put only one person with that kind of chemicals behind it. So it may be a few seconds or whatever and he has made that mess," said local resident Camerlenck Bernate.
The injured people are receiving hospital treatment.
Rail franchise bid suffered from 'lack of leadership'
The chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Margaret Hodge MP, has strongly criticised the Department for Transport's handling of the West Coast Main Line competition.
She said that "no single person" had been in charge of the bidding process, and that for a period of three months "there was no single person in charge at all".
The franchising process was littered with basic errors. The department yet again failed to learn from previous disasters, like the Metronet contract. It failed to heed advice from its lawyers. It failed to respond appropriately to early warning signs that things were going wrong.
Senior management did not have proper oversight of the project. Cuts in staffing and in consultancy budgets contributed to a lack of key skills.
The project suffered from a lack of leadership.
– margaret hodge, chair, public accounts committee
'Basic errors' in West Coast Main Line bidding process
MPs have called for the Department for Transport to "get its house in order" after uncovering "basic errors" in the way it run the West Coast franchise competition.
The department was forced to reverse its decision to award the £5 billion franchise to FirstGroup last October after a legal challenge from rival bidder Virgin Group.
The latest report by the Public Accounts Committee finds that managers had no oversight in the bidding process and failed to respond to early warning signs that things were going wrong.
Committee chair Margaret Hodge said the competition would cost the taxpayer £50 million "at the very least".
Fire brigade 'responded to police call' at London Bridge
London Fire Brigade have said they were called by the Met Police to London Bridge after at least three people were taken ill at the train station this morning:
Our crews responded to a call from the @metpoliceuk to attend #Londonbridge station after four people were taken unwell at the station.
TfL: London Bridge tube services running as normal
Transport for London (TfL) told ITV News that the issue was in the Network Rail part of London Bridge station and that underground services were running as normal.
Police: 'Nothing to link' three people taken ill at London Bridge station
At least three people were taken ill at London Bridge station this morning, but the Metropolitan Police said there was nothing to link the cases at this stage.
NEWS: At this stage there is nothing to link the four people taken unwell at London Bridge Station. #LondonBridge
