BBC News | UK | Search for crash bodies to resume

Thirteen people died and 70 were injured on Wednesday when a Land Rover careered into the path of a high-speed passenger train which was then hit by a freight train at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire.

An statistician has reckoned that the three factors that combined to produce this horrific crash were a one in 67 billion chance. A freak accident for sure. But that's no consolation for the families of those killed and injured.

Although I seldom travel on the particular section of the East Coast mainline that was the scene of the catastrophe, I will have often travelled in the actual GNER passenger train that crashed. And even though I know rail travel is one of the safest forms of transport I can't help feeling that the recent spate of accidents shortens the odds on me being involved in such incidents. I know that statistically speaking this is nonsense. (I hope). In a massively cruel twist of fate/coincidence the GNER locomotive powering the train was the same one that was involved in the Hatfield derailment.

The knock-on effect of the crash and the damage to the East Coast mainline service between Edinburgh and London is reckoned to take 4 weeks to clear up. Another massive disruption to the service that was slowly recovering from the aftermath of the Hatfield crash and the rail replacement programme that resulted from this.