A train crash in southern England has left at least six people dead. Eleven others are said to be in a serious condition in hospital. Around 150 people were wounded in total, many of them cut and bruised as their carriages derailed.

The Intercity service reportedly collided with a car on a level crossing in a rural area near the town of Reading in Berkshire. It had left London’s Paddington station at 1735 bound for Plymouth in the South West. The wreckage has been spread along the track for hundreds of metres. At least nine carriages came off the tracks, with two said to be twisted over on their sides. Emergency crews brought in heavy cutting equipment to release six passengers trapped inside. Police deployed sniffer dogs to try to track down anyone who had wandered dazed into the surrounding fields. Lifting gear is being used to clear the line.

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