Charles thanks heroes of train derailment carnage
PRINCE Charles yesterday thanked in person the emergency responders who were first on the scene of the train derailment tragedy.
His visit to the site of the crash came as the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) released its initial findings.
Three people died on Wednesday when the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow ScotRail service derailed near Stonehaven amid landslides and heavy storms.
Charles, known as the Duke of Rothesay while in Scotland, met police officers Liam Mercer and Eilidh McCabe and commended them on their bravery.
Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, all died in the crash. Six others were injured.
Four have since left Aberdeen Royal Infirmary while two remain in a stable condition.
Investigators found the train had hit a landslip, which caused it to derail and slide along the ground for 98 yards. The train’s front power car destroyed the edge of a bridge which led it and one carriage to fall down the railway embankment.
Two of the other passenger carriages overturned and the rear power car also derailed, although it remained upright.
The service to Glasgow Queen Street was stopped by a signaller after passing Carmont because a landslip had been reported ahead of it, the RAIB said. Following the crash, an off- duty rail worker walked a mile to raise the alarm.
Simon French, chief inspector of the RAIB, said: ‘Thankfully, fatal derailments are a rare occurrence on the UK’s national network. However, landslips and other earthworks failures remain a risk to trains that needs to be constantly managed.
‘This is becoming even more challenging for the rail industry due to the increasing incidence of extreme weather events.’