A train with around 150 people aboard derailed near the Lewes, England, railway station in East Sussex on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Two people were taken to a major trauma centre with “severe” injuries after a busy commuter train derailed near the southeast English town Lewes on Thursday (August 13, 2026), emergency services said.
About 150 passengers were on board the train which departed from London Victoria station and veered off the tracks shortly before 4:00 pm (1500 GMT), the ambulance service said.
Footage from the scene showed at least three overturned carriages and paramedics on site. The cause of the incident remains unknown.
Deputy chief paramedic officer Michael Bradfield said at a news briefing that there are a “range of injuries” among the 20 people that were taken to hospital. Of those injured two “were categorised as severe and were conveyed to a major trauma centre”.
Ian Drummond-Smith from the British Transport Police said a “major incident” had been declared but that all passengers on the train had been “safely evacuated”.
The accident involved a train from Southern Rail, which connects areas south of London to the capital.
Network Rail’s route director for Sussex, Lucy McAuliffe, said they are “working closely with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, who are on site to establish exactly what has happened”.
Train accidents, particularly fatal ones, are relatively rare in Britain.
A train driver was killed and dozens of people injured when two trains collided north of London in June.
Four people suffered minor injuries in a train derailment due to a reported landslide in remote northwestern England last November.
Published – August 14, 2026 08:10 am IST
