LONDON - A passenger train from London to Scotland derailed Friday night in northwestern England, seriously injuring some passengers and leaving as many as eight people trapped in a car that slipped down an embankment, officials said.

Emergency services stand at a derailed Virgin Pendolino train near Grayrigg, Kendal, in Cumbria, England Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. (AP Photo)

The Glasgow-bound Virgin train was carrying about 200 people when it went off the tracks near the Scottish border around 8:15 p.m., Virgin Train spokesman Lee West told Sky News.

There were no fatalities but numerous people were injured including the train driver, Cumbria county emergency officials said.

The train's second car fell down an embankment, and six to eight people could be trapped inside, according to the county ambulance service.

"At the moment, we have reports of various injuries, from leg injuries to back injuries and head injuries -- ranging from minor to quite serious," an ambulance spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with service policy.

British Transport Police said the accident location was remote, between the towns of Oxenholme and Tebay.

Twelve ambulances and five fire trucks were at the scene, and the Royal Air Force dispatched three Sea King helicopters and two mountain rescue teams. The military helicopters, along with one police helicopter, were sent to transport the injured to hospitals.

British Broadcasting Corp. executive Caroline Thompson, who was on the train, told the BBC that the train appeared to hit something and lurched from side to side "in a very dramatic way."

Passenger Ruth Colton told BBC she was reading a book when the journey became bumpy, like the train was being battered by heavy winds, "as if we were on a plane," before derailing.

She said the train flipped over, and items such as bottles and bags were "flying everywhere."

"All I saw was bags flying all over and people were shouting," Colton said. "Pretty much all the carriages were off the track."

Rail safety has been a major problem in Britain in recent years. One of the most serious accidents occurred in October 1999, when a train heading out of London's Paddington station went through a red light and crashed into an incoming high-speed train, killing 31 people. Around 400 people were injured in the accident, which was Britain's worst rail crash in 25 years.

The area where the train derailed Friday has seen two accidents on its railway lines in the past four years.