Up to 35 people have died and 100 others have been
injured after three trains were involved in a collision during morning rush
hour in south London.
Two commuter trains carrying an estimated 1,300 passengers between them
collided shortly after 0800 GMT at Clapham Junction - Europe's busiest
railway junction.
A third empty train later ran into the wreckage killing some passengers who
had survived the first crash.
Surgery at the scene
Many passengers are still trapped as fire crews are cutting through the
tangled carriages to reach them.
Emergency services have said the extent of the injuries mean some passengers
have received operations at the scene.
At nearby St George's Hospital in Tooting staff are on emergency alert as
coaches and ambulances wait to take those needing medical care to its new
accident and emergency unit.
Passengers well enough to leave by foot, stood by the rail track and were
described as "visibly shocked and distressed".
Many have been taken to a nearby school for first aid treatment.
Witnesses, unable to reach survivors because of the extent of the wreckage,
have reported seeing appalling injuries.
They described how carriages were sent hurtling into the air before crashing
back down again after the collision.
'Signalling failures'
The accident took place when the 0718 from Basingstoke to Waterloo
approached the junction.
Early reports indicate it was slowing for signals when the 0614 from Poole,
travelling from Bournemouth due to track problems, ran into the back of it.
Experts have said this train would have been travelling at about 40mph.
Shortly afterwards an empty train leaving Clapham junction hit the wreckage.
British Rail has said initial reports indicate the crash was caused by
signalling failures.
The Transport Secretary Paul Cannon is understood to be on his way to the
scene of the tragedy.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has promised a full public inquiry.
The Clapham rail crash was the worst train accident of recent times.
The Hidden inquiry into the crash said the primary cause was "wiring errors"
made by a rail worker who had had one day off in 13 weeks and that British
Rail work practices were to blame. It made 93 recommendations for safety
improvements, including a limit on the hours signalmen were allowed to work.
It also recommended the installation of automatic train protection (ATP) for
the whole rail network. The ATP equipment governs the speed of trains and
automatically stops them at red lights.
But the £750m price tag was considered too high by British Rail and the
government, immediately prior to privatisation in 1993.
In 1998 after the Paddington rail crash, Deputy PM John Prescott said "money
was no object" in upgrading railway safety systems.
An inquiry led by Lord Cullen into fatal crashes at Southall in 1997 and at
Ladbroke Grove in 1999 once again called for ATP to be installed by 2010 on
the railways.
But in 2002 the Transport Secretary, Stephen Byers, said the government
would not commit to the £3bn needed to install ATP. However, the cheaper,
simpler Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) has since been installed
across the network - although it cannot stop trains going through a red
light if they are travelling at more than 75mph.