England: At least 17 injured as two trains collide in Fisherton tunnel near Salisbury

As many as 17 people sustained injuries after two passenger trains crashed within a tunnel in Salisbury, England, on Sunday. The tragic incident happened at 6.46 p.m. when one train hit an object in the tunnel and the second train then derailed due to an unclear signal. Around 120 passengers from both trains were stranded after the collision happened. The situation was later taken care of by the rescue teams, including firefighters, paramedics, and security officials.

The injured passengers were taken to the nearest hospital and no casualties were reported by the police department. According to a Mail Online report, the passengers on board described the collision as similar to a loud sound of bangs like a "bomb going off", followed by glass breaking and sparks from the grinding metal. Meanwhile, moments after the incident, local people came to rescue and also helped the victims by providing food, drinks, and first aid.

According to UK Police, this was a critical incident but it was a miracle that nobody died. An investigation team is looking into the matter as to why the signal went off in advance and which object hit the moving train. The investigation team will also look for the possibility of Saturday's bad weather condition, which may have led to a landslide or a piece of tunnel falling down. A senior Network Rail engineer claimed that the crash happened due to a "major signaling error," reported Mail Online.

A passenger named Angela Mattingly, who witnessed the tragic incident, told BBC, "Everything went black and there were red flashes and everything. There was suddenly a lot of jostling, possessions being thrown around and I think a few people went forward and hit their heads. You just don't know for a couple of seconds what's happening. People started to panic, but nobody was seriously injured."

The incident occurred in Fisherton Tunnel, which is a mainline junction joining two tracks as they approach Salisbury from the south and from the east. At around 5.30 p.m., the Great Western Rail Service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads hit an object after entering the tunnel, and seven minutes later, a West Rail train from London Waterloo to Honiton entered the junction and due to signal failure, the train did not stop. This resulted in a crash into the stationary GWR service in the tunnel.

Meanwhile, no evidence or concrete reason behind the collision was found, but the department is investigating the matter to avoid further accidents.

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