Six injured as express train is derailed in Devon

Railway inspectors are to launch an investigation after a train derailed yesterday evening near Newton Abbot, Devon, injuring six people. Eight carriages of a high-speed train, the 15.35 Great Western service from London Paddington to Penzance, came off the rails at 6.15pm half a mile from the town.

The carriages left the track, remaining upright but leaning to one side. Six people, including a child, were taken to hospital with cuts and bruises. One man was kept in overnight. Railtrack said the train was slowing down on its approach to Newton Abbot station but it was not yet known how fast it had been going. British Transport Police said an initial search of the track had not revealed any obstructions which might have caused the derailment. Westbound train services were suspended and a fleet of buses ferried stranded passengers from the scene.