Monday, April 11, 2011

A passenger was killed Monday evening after a fire started in a washroom aboard a train near Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire, England. Emergency services were called to the London Midland train, where they found the body of a female passenger who had suffered burns.

British Transport Police confirmed one female individual was killed in the blaze. A spokesperson said: “The deceased woman has injuries consistent with burns, no other person is believed to have been involved in the incident. Officers from the fire and ambulance services are on the scene.”

The fire has caused serious disruption to trains on the West Coast Main Line. A spokesperson for Network Rail said they were attempting to reopen two of the four tracks on the line as London Midland scrambled to organise a replacement bus service.

London Midland said no-one else was injured in the incident. “The fire appeared to have been in the toilet,” a spokesperson said. “A passenger reported the fire to a conductor. All the other passengers got off safely.”