Survivors have recalled scenes of terror and devastation after two passenger trains collided near Bedford, north of London, on Friday, killing a train driver and injuring more than 80 people.Describing the moments after the crash, passenger Dr Pete Knapp told the Press Association: “There was a moment when I fell into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were very scared and confused.”The collision occurred between Bedford and Luton at around 5.15pm local time as both trains were traveling southwards towards London St Pancras station. Emergency services including air ambulance and specialist rescue teams rushed to the scene after several trains derailed.According to emergency officials, 89 people were injured in the collision. Eleven suffered very serious injuries, 22 suffered serious injuries and 56 others were treated for minor injuries.Recalling the collision, Knapp said that no warning was given before the collision.“For a moment I fell into the chair in front and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were very scared and confused,” he said.“I woke up and I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs, and then I managed to get out of the train and because I’m quite thin I managed to get out through the gap in the door.”He said his first thought was to escape in case the incident had been caused by an explosion.“My first thought was that if it was a terrorist explosion I would have to get off the train, I thought it would be safer to get off the train,” he said.Another passenger, Shola Mayne, told the BBC that ‘there was a big bang’ and ‘then people flew out of their seats.’ “Someone just came flying and hit my husband in the face. There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries,” Mene said. In another interview, Knapp compared the scene to a bomb explosion.“When I woke up, I saw chairs everywhere, I felt like I was in a bomb explosion. When I woke up, I saw people’s bloodied faces, people’s legs were broken. There was smoke everywhere,” he told the BBC.Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement, “My thoughts are with the family of the man who tragically lost his life, and with those who were seriously injured.”Social media footage from the scene showed injured passengers inside the damaged trains, while others were seen sitting near the railway tracks after being pulled out with bandages.Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), confirmed that the man killed was a train driver.They said: “We are saddened to learn that today’s accident between Luton and Bedford has resulted in the tragic death of a train driver and former RMT representative. The RMT’s thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and the Aslef trade union at this terrible time.”Dave Calf, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, also paid tribute to the victim.“Our thoughts tonight are with the family and friends of the driver who died in the crash near Bedford today and with the passengers who were injured in the crash,” he said.Rail operator East Midlands Railway said the collision involved a 4.40pm service from Corby to London St Pancras and a 3.50pm service from Nottingham to the same destination.The company suspended all train services to and from London St Pancras for the rest of the day as emergency services continued their response and investigators began to investigate the cause of the collision.