I would also like to praise the swift efforts of all the emergency services who have responded with speed and efficiency. A spokesman for the train drivers' union Aslef said its members would co-operate fully with the investigation but added that any further comment must wait. Tory leader William Hague also extended his sympathies to the injured and the relatives of those killed in the crash. Our thoughts and prayers are now with the injured and the relatives of those whose lives have been so suddenly snatched away. We need to find out what went wrong and why, but that is for later.
Today is a day for sadness and mourning.
Johnson Cox, director of operations for Railtrack , said at the crash scene that his thoughts and hearts went out to the families of the victims and those who have been injured. It is too early for us to be able to comment on what may have caused the derailment. The site is at the moment in the hands of the emergency services and as soon as we can we will be carrying out a full investigation into the derailment.