Paddington rail crash claims 31st victim

THE DEATH TOLL from the Paddington rail crash rose to 31 yesterday when a 25-year-oldwoman died from her injuries. Sunni Hah suffered 70 per cent burns in the crash on 5 October. She died at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

The Oxford graduate, who recently qualified as a barrister, had been transferred to the intensive therapy unit at Chelsea and Westminster from St Mary's Hospital, west London, where she was taken immediately after the crash.

Ms Hah, who lived in London, was among five victims who were seriously injured and were being treated at the hospital. The other four are in a stable condition, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

Rail unions said they were planning a demonstration in London on Saturday to demand that trains be fitted with automatic train protection systems to prevent them running through red signals, as happened to one of the trains in the Paddington crash.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union said it expected thousands of people, including the London mayoral candidates Ken Livingstone, Jeffrey Archer and Susan Kramer, to attend the rally in Trafalgar Square.