A passenger has died following a crash involving two trains in mid Wales.

4 different individuals had been critically injured within the crash and an additional eleven required hospital remedy, based on the Rail Accidents Investigations Department (RAIB), which is trying into the Powys collision.

The person who died was in his 60s and travelling from Shrewsbury.

His reason behind loss of life has not been revealed however British Transport Police mentioned in the intervening time they didn’t imagine it was on account of accidents sustained within the crash.

The BBC has been advised the 18:31 westbound service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth continued for about 1,000 metres (3,280ft) past the place it ought to have stopped, earlier than hitting a stationary 19:09 practice from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury on Monday night.

The RAIB mentioned an preliminary inspection discovered that the practice might have entered into wheel slide when braking.

It added that preliminary proof prompt that the collision occurred at a velocity of roughly 24 km/h (15 mph).

It occurred close to the village of Llanbrynmair at about 19:30 BST.

British Transport Police mentioned a legal investigation was not in the intervening time underway.

The Welsh Ambulance Service mentioned it took seven sufferers to hospital by ambulance.

Anthony Hurford, a passenger on the Shrewsbury-bound practice, mentioned he felt “fairly shell-shocked”.

“The phrase that retains coming to my head is simply brutal actually.

“Simply going from, I do not know the way quick we had been going, possibly 40, 50, 60mph (64-96km/h) , to nothing within the blink of a watch,” he advised BBC Breakfast.

“By some means my physique bent the leg of a desk and ripped it off its bolts connected to the wall.

“Abruptly I used to be on the ground with my laptop computer strewn forward of me, questioning what the hell had occurred,” he mentioned.

“He [the driver of the other train] tried to cease on the lights. On the high of the hill there is a sign that I assume would have been a passing place and for no matter cause the practice would not cease.

“There will need to have been 30/40 individuals from fireplace [service]. There was British Transport Police who had come from Birmingham, there have been three helicopters, individuals had come from north and south Wales so far as I am conscious. I used to be checked by three or 4 totally different medics.”

Ifan Edwards, a witness who lives close to the scene of the crash, mentioned he noticed quite a few ambulances passing, an air ambulance and two coastguard helicopters.

He mentioned it appeared that one of many trains had didn’t cease within the regular place on a hill “and from what we will collect he simply slid and he could not cease the practice”.

Transport Minister Ken Skates advised the Senedd that security was the Welsh authorities’s “prime concern”.

Plaid Cymru’s Senedd member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Mabon ap Gwynfor, mentioned he had acquired messages from constituents nervous a crash may occur once more.

Skates promised classes could be discovered “as quickly as doable”.

Community Rail and Transtport for Wales (TfW) mentioned in a joint assertion it was a “low-speed collision”.

TfW chief working officer Jan Chaudhry van der Velde mentioned he couldn’t talk about the causes of the accident however mentioned its rail accident investigation department arrived on the scene on Monday night time and remained there.

A full report would take a number of months to be processed, he mentioned.

“The road is basically made up of stretches of single line the place trains use one line to journey in two instructions and the place trains must go one another, now we have passing loops,” he mentioned.

“The place the collision occurred there may be one in every of these passing loops,” he added.

Native councillor Elwyn Vaughan mentioned the crash was “a shock and a shock”.

“It’s a single monitor line, in order that’s uncommon in lots of contexts, however there are devoted passing locations,” he mentioned.

“The norm could be one practice parks there, and the opposite passes. The elemental query is, why that did not occur final night time?”

He mentioned a brand new digital system to cease trains is perhaps guilty, or leaves on the road, given the steep incline on the location of the crash.

The Rail Accident Investigation Department (RAIB) deployed a staff of inspectors to the positioning of the crash and as soon as inspected, choices will likely be made on the necessity for additional sources.

Steve Witherden, MP for Montgomeryshire, described it as “tragic”.

“I feel the individuals concerned and their households will need solutions as quickly as doable however I additionally suppose it is vital that we do not speculate and we let the investigation perform its work,” he mentioned.

The Cambrian railway east of Machynlleth will likely be closed whereas investigations proceed, Community Rail and Transport for Wales mentioned, urging passengers to not journey on that a part of the community.

Witherden mentioned he had heard it may take “a number of days” earlier than the monitor was secure to reopen.

Earlier on Monday TfW suggested passengers its companies had been working at lowered speeds by way of Dovey Junction station – which is on the identical line – as a result of earlier trains reported the monitor was “extraordinarily slippery”.

The operator suspended all companies on the separate Coronary heart of Wales line on Tuesday “till additional discover” as a consequence of “poor rail circumstances”.

Site visitors Wales mentioned the A470 was closed in each instructions between Caersws and Glantwymyn, whereas Transport for Wales mentioned rail substitute companies had been in operation.

The incident was attended by the ambulance and fireplace companies, native police, and the coastguard, with assist from the rail business, BTP mentioned in a press release.

Residents reported seeing an air ambulance on the scene.

BTP mentioned the household of the person who died had been knowledgeable and was being supported by specialist officers.

It additionally mentioned residents would see an elevated police presence within the coming days as officers labored to know the circumstances main as much as the collision.

Writing on X earlier, Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan mentioned: “My ideas are with all these concerned within the rail incident in Powys earlier this night.

“I wish to thank the emergency companies for his or her response and have requested to be stored knowledgeable of any developments all through the night time.”

UK authorities Transport Secretary Louise Haigh mentioned she was “extremely sorry” to listen to concerning the crash.

“Security on our railways is my absolute precedence and we’re working at tempo with Transport for Wales and Community Rail to know what occurred and the way we will higher stop it going ahead.”