Courageous Train Employee Suffers Severe Wounds During Mass Stabbing Attack on Express Service
A brave train employee who intervened to save passengers during a multiple knife attack on a high-speed train has suffered critical wounds, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Details of the Frightening Event
CCTV video allegedly shows the staff member attempting to halt the attacker as the train journeyed between a city and another station in the county. Bystanders recounted a frightening 14-minute period after the train left Peterborough, with injured victims fleeing through carriages.
The individual, a 32-year-old citizen from Peterborough, is in detention for interrogation. Authorities declared a significant event on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in downtown London.
Emergency Response and Consequences
The incident on the weekend led to 11 people being treated in hospital after the train made an unscheduled stop at the station in Huntingdon. Several people have now been released from medical care.
A bystander recorded the individual waving a large knife and being shot with a stun device as he faced officers on the platform. He was reportedly heard yelling, "End my life, kill me."
“This terrible incident has affected many people. We are thinking of the victims and their families – especially the brave employee of rail staff whose family are being supported by trained personnel,” said a senior police officer.
Union Response and Appeals for Measures
Rail associations were quick to praise employees and call for increased measures. One labor official stated he would be “seeking urgent meetings with government, train companies and police to guarantee that we have the best available assistance, tools and effective procedures in place”.
Another association representative encouraged the rail company and authorities “to move quickly to review security, to help the affected workers, and to make sure nothing like this occurs again”.
Driver Praised for Rapid Action
The train driver who halted the train at Huntingdon was reported as being “deeply affected” but “good”, and has been praised by association representatives for doing “exactly the right thing”.
“The driver didn’t halt the service in the middle of two stations where it’s obviously challenging for the first responders to reach, but he continued traveling until he arrived to Huntingdon, where the response was almost waiting,” stated a union official.
Further Details
Police stated they got the first distress reports at 7:39 pm, and the service was forced to make an unplanned stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.
An observer recounted at first thinking if the event was a Halloween joke, but soon understood from individuals' faces that it was real.
Authorities have stated there is no evidence to suggest the incident was a terror-related incident and have asked the public to come forward with any additional details.
Train operations on the affected line are expected to have delays until the following day, with passengers recommended to defer their travel where feasible.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation are asked to reach authorities by sending a message a designated number with a case code.
