Train derailment in Britain injures four, disrupts rail line

Four people sustained minor injuries, though none required hospital treatment, according to the North West Ambulance Service.

LONDON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- A train carrying 87 people derailed in northwestern England on Monday, disrupting rail services, local media reported.

The Avanti West Coast train traveling from Glasgow to London came off the tracks near Shap, a village in Cumbria, on Monday morning. Four people sustained minor injuries, though none required hospital treatment, according to the North West Ambulance Service.

Britain's Network Rail confirmed to local media that a landslip had occurred in the area before the train derailed.

"Early indications would suggest that the train has struck a landslide just north of where it now stands," Sam MacDougall, director of operations at Network Rail, told a press conference.

Pictures show the front carriage completely off the tracks but still upright, with the front of the train badly damaged and the windscreen covered in mud.

There was a "flash and bang" when the train derailed, a passenger told local media. "People were confused but calm. At first, we thought a car or something had hit the train."

According to Network Rail, major disruption on the West Coast Main Line is expected to continue until the end of the day. ■