Officials in Scotland say a passenger train derailment Wednesday near Stonehaven on the country’s northeast coast has resulted in ”serious injuries.”
British transport police initially reported the incident on Twitter, saying paramedics were at the scene along with first responders from the fire brigade. Aerial video from the scene, about 160 kilometers from Edinburgh, shows plumes of smoke rising from the heavily wooded hillside where the accident occurred.
Rail industry sources told the PA news agency that the suspected cause of the derailment is a landslide. A local member of parliament told reporters the area had experienced flooding on Wednesday after "heavy rain."
The nation’s railway maintenance authority, NetworkRail Scotland, said on Twitter it was working with emergency services to respond to the derailment, but it was “too early to confirm the exact nature and severity of the incident.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament that emergency services officials had confirmed the reports of serious injuries. She said she would be convening a meeting with relevant agencies to access the situation as soon as possible.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his thoughts were with all those affected, and expressed his thanks to the emergency crews at the scene.
