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Salisbury train crash driver suffers ‘life-changing’ injuries

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Salisbury train crash driver suffers ‘life-changing’ injuries

A train driver suffered “life-changing” injuries and 13 passengers, including a child, needed hospital treatment after two trains collided as they entered a tunnel in Salisbury.

British Transport Police (BTP) said on Monday that they could not rule out foul play but officers do not believe one of the trains was derailed as it hit an object on the line, as had originally been thought.

It is understood that police and the rail investigation branch are focusing on issues including the signalling and points, human error and weather conditions at the time.

Speaking outside Salisbury railway station, Supt Lisa Garrett, of BTP, said the crash happened at about 6.45pm on Sunday when the Great Western Railway (GWR) service from Southampton to Cardiff collided with a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo to Honiton in Devon as both entered the Fisherton tunnel, close to the city centre.

Garrett said: “Both trains were travelling in the same direction and one train struck the other, causing it to derail while in the tunnel. The front few carriages remained upright while the back tipped on their side.”

There were a total of 92 passengers on both trains. About 30 people attended a casualty centre set up in a nearby church. Most were “walking wounded” but 13 passengers were taken to Salisbury district hospital by ambulance, where they received treatment for minor injuries. One remained in hospital in Salisbury on Monday afternoon.

Garrett added: “The driver of the train was more seriously injured and his injuries are believed to be life-changing. He remains in hospital in a stable condition and his family have been informed.”

The driver, who was at the controls of the South Western train, had to be cut from the cab and is believed to be in hospital in Southampton.

Garrett said a senior detective had been appointed to find out how the trains came together in the tunnel. BTP said it was working with the rail investigation branch and the office of rail and road.

She said: “We are keeping an open mind but there has been nothing to suggest the train stuck an object or there was any significant delay between the trains colliding and one derailing.”

Garrett said there was no evidence the driver of the train that had been hit had activated his GPRS button, which warns signallers and other drivers of an emergency.

Asked if they had ruled out that anything criminal was involved, she said: “We haven’t ruled out foul play; until the investigation has concluded, we cannot confirm why this has happened.”

Passengers told of their horror at the crash.

Alan Crocker, a former Royal Navy sailor, who was travelling home to Exmouth, Devon, with his wife, Wendy, said they were travelling at about 20mph when the collision happened.

He said: “The impact was quite weird. There was a jolt and a juddering which I imagine was the train leaving the rails. There was a fireball and a little bit of smoke coming through the train.

“There was a smell of diesel; that was a real concern. That was my initial concern: was there a fire and was there going to be smoke? Our carriage had gone off at a 35-degree tilt.”

Dimitri Popa, 17, was in the first carriage of the London Waterloo train. “It all happened very fast. There was a big crash, then I saw flames,” he said. “We didn’t know where we were or anything, we were very shocked.”

Morgan Harris, 20, who was travelling on the same train, was thrown from his seat. “It was all going along normally then all of a sudden there was a massive bang and all of the lights went out,” he said.

“There [were] sparks and flames. Our train was on its side. I was thrown out of my seat and I banged around the table.”

Asked about railway safety, a spokesperson for the prime minister, Boris Johnson, said: “It’s obviously a top priority for this government, which is why we’ve allocated £40bn-worth of spending to ensure that the railways continue to be one of the safest in the world.”

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Lagos sales manager remanded, accused of stealing N32.2m from boss

A 25-year-old sales manager, Olatunbosun Olarewaju, has been remanded in Ikoyi Prison after being accused of masterminding a shocking N32.2 million theft from his employer, just months after securing the job.

The police at Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island, said Olarewaju allegedly abused the trust of his boss, Mr Victor Ibe, by selling goods worth N32.2 million and diverting the proceeds into multiple personal accounts before disappearing.

According to police investigators, the lid was blown off the alleged scheme when Ibe conducted an audit and discovered a massive shortfall in stock value.

Acting swiftly, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, launched an intelligence-driven manhunt that led to Olarewaju’s arrest at a hideout in Lagos.

Following the investigation led by Sergeant Abraham Friday, Olarewaju was arraigned before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

Prosecuting counsel, Inspector Ishola Samuel, told the court that the offences took place between August 2024 and April 14, 2025, at 23 Princess Street, Lagos Island.

He said Olarewaju, entrusted with managing and selling his employer’s goods, instead chose to divert millions of naira into his private coffers.

The offences, Samuel said, contravened Sections 411 and 287(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Olarewaju, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Presiding Magistrate A.A. Paul granted him bail in the sum of N1 million, with two sureties in like sum, but ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre until he meets the conditions.

The case has been adjourned until May 27, 2025, for further mention.

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Military kills over 100 terrorists, rescue 21 hostages — DHQ

The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has announced major successes in its ongoing counter-terrorism and anti-oil theft operations across Nigeria, with over 100 terrorists killed, 100 suspects arrested, and 21 kidnapped victims rescued between April 17 and 25, 2025.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, disclosed the achievements in a statement on Friday.

Kangye noted that coordinated offensives across the North East, North West, North Central, South South, and South East regions yielded substantial results.

“In the North East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai launched aggressive offensives leading to the surrender of ISWAP/JAS elements and the elimination of dozens of terrorists,” Kangye said.

In the North West, troops under Operation Fagge Yamma neutralized several insurgents, arrested suspects, and rescued victims in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina States.

In the North Central zone, Operations Safe Haven and Whirl Stroke also recorded significant success. Between April 18–22, troops acting on credible intelligence arrested over 37 criminal suspects in Plateau and Kaduna States.

In the South East, troops under Operation Udoka carried out successful raids in Imo, Enugu, Anambra, and Ebonyi States, killing terrorists, arresting suspects, and recovering arms and explosives. Notably, four kidnapped victims were rescued during these missions.

In the South South, troops of Operation Delta Safe targeted illegal refining sites and oil theft networks, destroying equipment and seizing crude oil and petroleum products worth over ₦94 million.

“Between April 18 and 22, troops made contact with terrorists in several communities, seizing weapons, mobile phones, motorcycles, and IEDs,” Kangye added

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Pope Francis Laid To Rest In Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica

This photo taken and handout on April 26, 2025 by The Vatican Media shows the rite of the burial of the coffin of Pope Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica. (Photo by Handout / VATICAN MEDIA / AFP)

Pope Francis was buried inside his favourite Rome church after a funeral mass in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, was laid to rest during a 30-minute ceremony which started at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in the Italian capital.

Footage shared by the Holy See showed cardinals marking his wooden and zinc coffin with red wax seals.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who as camerlengo is running the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected, sprinkled it with holy water after it was lowered into a tomb set inside an alcove.

A reproduction of the pectoral cross worn by Francis during his lifetime hung above it.

Francis had asked that the tomb, located near the altar of Saint Francis, be simple and unadorned, reflecting the humble spirit of his papacy.

The tombstone bears only the inscription “Franciscus” — the pope’s name in Latin.

Its marble is sourced from Liguria, the northwestern Italian region once home to the Argentine pontiff’s Italian ancestors.

Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, had specified in his will the exact spot he wanted to be buried, in the side nave of the beloved fifth-century AD church.

The pontiff was devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary and made a point of praying in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.

He declared his desire to be entombed there in 2023.

Located in the heart of Rome, the basilica already holds the tombs of seven popes.

But the last one to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669. More recently, popes have usually been buried in St Peter’s Basilica.

One of four papal basilicas in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore also holds the remains of several other renowned figures, such as the architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed St Peter’s Square and its surrounding columns.

Built around 432 AD under Pope Sixtus III, the basilica holds some of the Catholic Church’s most important relics, including an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus, attributed to Saint Luke.

(Channels/AFP)

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