AN investigation has been launched after a 78-year-old woman was dragged along a London Underground platform and into a tunnel by a train.
The pensioner suffered serious injuries after her bag became trapped between the doors of a train at Notting Hill Gate station, west London.
She is still recovering in hospital following the incident at 4pm on January 31.
The woman was unable to free her bag or let go of it before the train departed, accident investigators said.
RAIB investigation into a person being trapped by train doors and dragged, Notting Hill Gate London Underground station, 31 January 2018. https://t.co/FNsQDGwdRf
— RAIB (@raibgovuk) February 20, 2018
Passengers who saw the woman become trapped activated emergency alarms and the driver applied the brakes.
But the pensioner had already been dragged along the westbound Central line platform as six of the train’s eight carriages were already in the tunnel when the train stopped.
Emergency services and London Underground’s emergency response unit rescued the seriously injured woman from the space between the tunnel wall and the underside of the train.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is urging witnesses to come forward to help its investigation into the incident.
Their inquiry aims to determine why the train door’s obstacle detection system did not appear to function correctly.
