TRAGIC DISASTER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 215, 25 August 1927, Page 5

TRAGIC DISASTER

DEAL EXPRESS DERAILED WHEN TRAVELLING 60 M P.H. ELEVEN KILLED ?9 SERIOUSLY INJURED. [By Cable-Press Assn. - Copyright.! (Received 25 11.55 a.m.) London, August 24. An accident happened to the southern railway express train from Cannon street to Deal, coaches being derailed and overturned near Sevenoaks. Ten dead were recovered from the wreckage, and' many injured Several ar® in a critical condition. —(A. and N.Z.) LATER DETAILS. (Received 25. 1,20 p.m.) Londe-’ August 24 Details of the Sevenoaks railway accident show- that the train, while travelling over 60 miles an hour, jumped the line at Riverhead Bridge, a mile from Sevenoaks, tearing up the permanent wav for a disanoe of 200 yards. The rails were twisted like copper wire Eleven were killed outright, while 29 were seriously injured, and several only slightly. The engine tore along some distance before toppling over and. turning completel- round, half buried itself in the bank. One bogie wheel was hurled 50 yards. The driver and fireman had miraculous escapes. One Pullman coach was hurled broadside across the rails, and an. other crashed into a bridge, ripping out the whole side. There were only three coaches undamaged. The disaster was accompanied b” a noise like thunder, and clouds of steam rose out of the cutting. HEARTRENDING SCENES. The scene was one of the utmost confusion resembling a battlefield Doctors and nurses appeared like magic, there being several aboard the train The villagers came and sereral women, tearin- sheets from the beds, used them ns bandages. The ambulances arrived expeditiously. but the Sevenoaks Hospital was unable to accommodate all the cases.

The greatest difficulty was to extricate the dead and injured. There were many heartrending scenes at the rescues.

After working feverishly to liberate one girl who was perfectly conscious, the rescuers were horrified to find her leg completely severed by a door of a wrecked carriage. She was covered with coats and other clothing, and taken to the hospital. All the time she kept askin- for somebody tn try and find her mother —(A and N.Z)