BRITAIN: New fears have been raised over safety on the London Underground after seven people were injured in the second train derailment in as many days.
Rail unions said train drivers had recently warned of problems with the track at Camden Town station where the last carriage of a Northern Line train left the rails and hit a wall at 10.01 yesterday morning.
Five men and two women were taken to hospital following the incident, which prompted threats of industrial action by Britain's biggest rail union. All of the injured were in the derailed carriage which became detached from the rest of the train about 30 metres inside the tunnel.
One man in his 20s suffered a head injury but it was not thought to be serious. Another man, in his late 30s, broke his left thigh bone, said a spokesman for the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, where the victims were taken.
Five others described as "walking wounded" were also taken to hospital and discharged after treatment. A further seven people received minor injuries and were treated at the scene, according to the assistant divisional officer of the London Fire Brigade.
On Friday evening, a Piccadilly Line train came off the tracks between Hammersmith and Barons Court stations in west London.
Mr Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, threatened industrial action unless maintenance contracts given to private companies earlier this year were immediately suspended in the wake of the weekend's accidents.
A spokesman for the RMT union said some drivers had reported problems with this section of track at Camden Town before yesterday's derailment.
The Mayor of London, Mr Ken Livingstone, said he had been told that Tube engineers had been carrying out maintenance work in the Camden Town station area last night. "We will know more when our engineers are able to examine the trains and track."
He said the two derailments had raised "grave questions about the safety of the system".
Mr Harry Anscombe, who lives in the area, said there were chaotic scenes after the incident.
"There were fire crews and ambulance people helping, ushering people up the escalators, passengers with blackened faces," he said. "I saw one man who had bandages and blood streaming down his face."
London Underground said there were 70 passengers on the northbound train which derailed as it was pulling into the station, which was full of shoppers and tourists on their way to Camden's shops and markets.
Another 213 passengers from two other trains stuck in the tunnel after the derailment had to be escorted out via Camden Town and Mornington Crescent stations. - (PA)