Three people were killed and at least six others seriously injured after a passenger train derailed early Wednesday in northeast Scotland, according to news reports.
The engineer of the train was among the dead, according to the Associated Press, citing local officials.
Authorities have not yet revealed what exactly caused the accident but noted that the locomotive had been traveling in stormy weather.
Smoke could be seen rising from the countryside near Stonehaven, about 100 miles northeast of Edinburgh, where intense rain and flash floods soaked the ground overnight, according to AP.
Network Rail Scotland, which operates the country’s transportation network, reported landslips in the ground around Aberdeen where the rail line was inundated by water early Wednesday.
“We obviously don’t know why the derailment took place, but obviously we have suffered terrible weather here,” said local lawmaker Andrew Bowie, adding that a hospital in Aberdeen, near the crash site, moved into high alert in preparation to handle an influx of victims.
The train comprised two locomotives at the front and back and four carriages, according to a report by BBC News.
Trains run through Stonehaven and link Aberdeen with Edinburgh and Glasgow, the AP reported.
Police and paramedics were alerted to the accident at 9:43 a.m. local time.
Numerous ambulances, fire engines and a medical helicopter responded and were still working the scene.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted about the derailment, calling it “an extremely serious incident.”
“I’ve had an initial report from Network Rail and the emergency services and am being kept updated. All my thoughts are with those involved,” she said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted “my thoughts are with all of those affected.”
The United Kingdom’s last fatal train derailment was in 2007, according to the AP.
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