Serious injuries have been confirmed after a train derailed near Lewes railway station in East Sussex.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 3.55pm, with the public warned to avoid the area.

According to reports, passengers were left trapped in overturned carriages, with approximately 150 believed to be on board.

It is understood three carriages of the eight-carriage train overturned, with the affected train being the 14.24 Southern service from London Victoria to Eastbourne.

Images on social media from the scene of the crash show people standing on carriages lying on their side in a countryside area, while inside footage captured the moment a carriage began swaying and people were thrown from seats.

South East Coast Ambulance has since confirmed that ‘two people sustained serious injuries’, and Eastbourne’s MP, Josh Babarinde, has been informed one constituent suffered injuries to their ribs.

‘Patients have been assessed and treated at the scene, with some transported to local hospitals for further treatment and care,’ a spokesperson for the ambulance service said.

‘A number of passengers who did not require hospital treatment have been taken to a local community centre, where they are being supported by partner agencies.

‘This remains a complex and ongoing multi-agency response.’

British Transport Police added that ‘a further nine patients have sustained less serious injuries’.

At around 7.30pm, Assistant Chief Constable Ian Drummond-Smith said ‘all passengers on the train have now been safely evacuated from the service’.

A ‘major incident’ was still declared while ‘significant’ emergency response continues.

Passengers recall moment ‘everything went topsy-turvy’

Rob Bradley, who was on the train with his six-year-old daughter, Mabel, recalled the terrifying moment they ‘felt the train speeding up and starting to rock’.

From carriage four (the fifth went on its side), they felt the train ‘jump vertically upwards’, at which point they knew it was a derailment.

‘The emergency brakes went on the train, and everything got thrown forward.’

Bradley told BBC News the train ‘skidded for quite a while before it stopped’.

‘We turned around, and we saw the whole back of the train was open, and smoke and dust were pouring into the carriage, and we saw the fifth carriage had gone on its side.’

He also saw people with head injuries, blood, and cuts.

Bradley and Mabel remained on the train ‘for about an hour and a half’ after the initial incident and admitted it was ‘pandemonium for a while’.

Meanwhile, Yana Ludwig, who was travelling alone on the train, told reporters that, after banging, everything ‘just went topsy-turvy’.

The 56-year-old described being propped up over the top of another passenger and now being ‘pretty banged up’.

She thinks it was 20 minutes before the emergency services arrived, adding it seemed like a difficult place for them to reach.

It was later shared by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service that 10 fire engines had been deployed, plus a command support unit, technical rescue teams, officers, and other resources.

The witness saw the rear carriage ‘completely on its side at the bottom of the small embankment’.

A number of people were escorted away from the train and ‘walked on a dusty track into a housing estate’.

Photos taken afterwards showed people helping one another clamber out and assisting with ladders.

Where did the derailment happen?

Southern Rail said the derailment happened in the stretch of track between Lewes and the town of Haywards Heath further north.

It was confirmed that no trains can run between Lewes and Brighton, Haywards Heath, Seaford or Eastbourne as a result of the incident.

They issued a ‘do not travel’ instruction to other passengers for the affected area for the remainder of the day.

Major disruption is expected until 10pm.

Writing on X, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was ‘deeply concerned’ by the derailment and ‘grateful to emergency services supporting those impacted’.

Meanwhile, James MacCleary, the MP for Lewes, wrote on Facebook that it is ‘clearly a very serious and developing incident’.

The general secretary of a transport trade union added that, ‘with so many passengers reportedly involved’ in the derailment, ‘the immediate priority must be their safety and wellbeing’.

Investigation launched

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) ‘deployed a team’ to the site to begin ‘gathering evidence’.

It is not yet known what caused the train to derail, but questions have been raised after photos depicted what appears to be a buckled track.

While we can’t know for sure yet, specialist investigators will explore whether this was a factor and whether the rails were already in such a shape before the train arrived or whether the bent tracks were sustained due to the incident itself.

With today being the hottest of the year and temperatures reaching 38°C, it has been explained that steel tracks can become curved in these conditions.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

MORE: Drivers warned extreme 38°C heatwave could weaken UK’s already damaged roads

MORE: Commuters warned after extreme heat alert activated ahead of 38°C temperatures

MORE: Direct trains between two European countries resume after being scrapped in the 90s