Aug. 13 (UPI) — A passenger train derailed in southern England Thursday, seriously injuring two people.

Police and emergency services are on the scene outside of Lewes, England, in East Sussex. Lewes is about 45 miles south of London near Brighton.

The accident happened at about 3:54 p.m. local time near the Lewes rail station. The train had been traveling from London Victoria to Eastbourne, the British Transport Police said.

“We’re responding alongside paramedics and the fire service and will provide more information as soon as we can,” the BTP said on X.

It later said that three passenger cars had fallen onto their sides leaving “a number of people trapped. They have now been safely evacuated.”

“At this time, we believe that two people have sustained serious injuries and a further nine patients have sustained less-serious injuries,” the BTP said. “Patients have been assessed and treated at the scene, with some transported to local hospitals.”

There were about 150 people aboard when the accident happened, the South East Coast Ambulance Service said in a statement.

Yana Ludwig, 56 from the United States, said the crash was “completely terrifying.”

“There was a banging. Everything just went topsy turvy,” CNN reported Ludwig said. “It seemed like a really long time but it probably was 10 seconds of that before the carriage actually fell on the side.”

Charlie Hobden, 31, from Lewes, said it “felt like a sliding snake. We just went over and we were dragging along the floor,” the BBC reported.

“We tried to open the doors and then we saw people standing on top of the train and so we managed to get out on our own. Others waited and got on ladders to get out.

“Then the emergency services helped us out, and we got assessed. I didn’t have any injuries so I was allowed to go home.”

There was no obvious reason for the derailment. Some train services had been canceled and others were running at reduced speeds due to a heatwave. Temperatures were at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit Thursday.

Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it was deploying a team of investigators to the site, CNN reported.

Customers have been warned of a “major disruption” in service for several hours, National Rail said.

“No trains can run through Lewes and Haywards Heath until further notice. You will need to use an alternative route to reach your destination,” it said.

This is the second major train incident in Britain this summer. In June, two passenger trains collided head-on, injuring 80 people and killing a driver.