Fire crews are starting to leave the scene of a major rail crash this evening.

The incident happened at around 5.30pm when a 44 ton articulated lorry returning from depositing waste at a nearby sewage works collided with the 5.31pm rail service from Sudbury to Marks Tey on a user-operated crossing in Little Cornard near to Bures Road, the B1508.

Incident commander Karl Rolfe of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are now leaving the scene. We have handed the incident over to British Transport Police and the Rail Accident Investigation Board.

“All the serious casualties are off the train and have been conveyed to hospital by land or air ambulance.

“We assisted with stabilising the train which had derailed. The train came to rest over a small bridge and is at an unstable angle facing down the embankment.

“The railway authorities are dealing with the recovery of the carriages but that will obviously be a secondary consideration.

“It’s being treated as a crime scene and the relevant authorities are gathering all the detail they need.”