Croydon tram crash: Five dead after vehicle overturns in south London

Two people trapped in wreckage and more than 50 injured

At least five people are dead after a tram overturned in Croydon, south London.

Two people remain trapped and more than 50 people have been injured after the accident. The London Mayor has warned that the death toll 'may well increase'.

The driver of the tram has been arrested, British Transport Police said.

Five people were initially trapped after the accident but three have been rescued from the wreckage.

The accident involved a vehicle and two carriages and occurred near a tunnel, Transport for London said. The overturned tram remains on its side next to an underpass.

More than 70 firefighters, eight fire engines and four rescue units are at the scene and people have been asked to avoid the area.

(Lucy Pasha Robinson / The Independent (Lucy Pasha Robinson / The Independent)

St George's Hospital in Tooting, said 20 people have been brought in for treatment of which four are seriously injured.

One man told The Croydon Advertiser his wife had phoned him from on board the train and to say she was trapped and could not get up.

Croydon resident Hannah Collier, 23, said it was raining heavily at the time of the incident.

She told the BBC: "I was in bed watching the election when I heard a big crash, which I thought was the wind.

"Then I heard people shouting and then the emergency services arriving.

"Later I saw at least one person being brought out on a stretcher."

Adil Salahi, whose property overlooks the track, told Press Association the he heard a "sudden" noise.

The 76-year-old said: "It was about 6.10am or 6.15am and because I was praying. I could not move and try to check what it is. I thought it was something in the garage doors. Then I thought it was some lorry."

Liam Lehane, from the London Ambulance Service, described many of those hurt as "walking wounded" but said others suffered serious injuries.

Investigations have been launched after the tram derailed (Reuters)

London Mayor Sadiq Khan issued a statement that said he was in contact with the emergency services and said his thoughts were with those involved.

"Terrible accident in Croydon," Boris Johnson said in a tweet, "my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families".

A spokesperson from the British Transport Police said: "Officers from British Transport Police attended alongside officers from London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police.

"Together, we are currently working to free two people still trapped. A number of people have been taken to hospital with injuries and sadly we can say there has been some loss of life."

He said British Transport Police and the Rail Accident Investigations branch had launched independent investigations into the incident.

It is believed to be the first tram crash involving fatalities on board since 1959, when two women passengers and the driver died after a tram caught fire in Shettlestone Road, Glasgow, following a collision with a lorry.

London Tramlink have confirmed no services are operating between Reeves Corner and Addington Village/Harrington Road.

(Lucy Pasha Robinson / The Independent (Lucy Pasha Robinson / The Independent)

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