13.  Damn: it's Plymouth, innit? 

Seven killed and 23 missing in boat capsizing off northern Cyprus

At least seven people have died and 23 others are still missing after a passenger boat capsized off northern Cyprus, the head of the Turkish administration there has said.

Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish republic there, said the ferry had been carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it began taking on water after departing the coastal town of Kyrenia.

The ship's captain and seven crew members have been detained as part of an investigation into "how this tragedy occurred", Üstel wrote on social media.

A search and rescue operation to find the passengers still unaccounted for is under way, which Turkish authorities have joined. Turkish media is reporting the death toll has risen to eight.

The privately owned ferry left the left the popular holiday resort of Kyrenia at 12:30 local time (09:30 GMT), local media reported.

Üstel said the boat had been scheduled to travel to Turkey on Saturday, but had been delayed due to poor weather conditions.

He told Turkish media outlet TRT that the boat was hit by two waves before it capsized.  While the captain of the vessel was trying to recover from the first wave, a second wave hit and it began taking on water, he told the outlet.

Helicopters and coastguard boats have been dispatched to the scene, while ambulances have been stationed on the beach ready to receive rescued passengers.

Üstel wrote on social media that the "priority right now is human life", adding that security forces, rescue teams and health officials were all on the scene.  He added the disaster will be thoroughly investigated and "even the slightest negligence will be uncovered.  No one will be spared, regardless of who they are, who is found to be at fault or responsible," Üstel said.

Erhan Arikli, the transport minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognised by Turkey, told local media that 100 passengers had been taken to shore.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his condolences to Turkish Cypriots and said efforts to reach those who were still missing "continue uninterrupted".

"Immediately after the accident, we launched extensive search-and-rescue operations in co-operation with the authorities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," he said at a military ceremony on Sunday.

(BBC article continues)

More travel across Oxford from the Science Parks around Culham actually I think. There is a fair number who are already on he train when it comes into Oxford in the evening that stay on it to go round the corner.

Eh? you would still buy the usual ticket for the trip if yours was cancelled & you were permitted to use another route? You wouldn't think that you'd need to pay any more - it's not your faut that service(s) were cancelled. I think you are over-worrying

That Standard fare is a lot for a couple of hours or so! You can get almost a full day out usually for that price-ish.

And only 10min break at Newbury in the afternoon?!

It'll probably be the most people you've had on Melksham since the station closed.....and it's not even stopping 

13.  ... and it ruddy well is Barf Spa, isn't it?  What particularly annoys me about my not identifying it is the fact that I actually lugged a heavy suitcase up that very flight of stairs, less than four weeks ago. 

That train would still need to be diesel, as the Cotswold Line isn't (& likely wouldn't) be electrified, even if Oxford was.

Mum says family 'lucky to be alive' after train crash


Sophie Cassidy was on the train with her children when it collided with the van - Image © Sophie Cassidy

A rail passenger has told how she feels "lucky to be alive" after her train crashed with a van, killing the delivery driver.

Sophie Cassidy was travelling in the train when it hit a van on a railway line. The van driver died at the scene in Burscough, West Lancashire, just after 15:00 BST on Saturday.

The 26-year-old's daughter was hit by flying glass when the door to the Northern train driver's compartment sheered off its hinges in the crash on the Wigan Wallgate - Southport train.

The mother-of-two told the BBC: "I can't put into words how lucky we are to be alive. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it all."

The marketing boss was on the train with her son and daughter.

Cassidy said she had looked out through the window and saw the van travelling along a road toward the crossing just before the impact, which happened on the corner of Martin Lane and Whitehouse Lane.

She described the train driver, who quickly came out of his carriage to check on all the passengers, as "an absolute hero".

"The driver came out and spoke to us all and made sure we were all OK," she added.

All the passengers had to remain on the train for at least two hours until they could be led to safety.

Cassidy said: "The fire service got us all down one by one. All the emergency services were offering us counselling."

She had she had been "very tearful" since the incident, thinking about the driver who lost his life.

Two people were treated for injuries at the scene.

Cassidy added her daughter‘s injuries from the glass was thankfully “just a surface wound”.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said: "Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened."

I had to think but - yes - that IS part of Italy.

Girl faces six-month recovery after 'freak accident' bus crash on holiday

The mother of a girl who was crushed by a bus and trapped after it flipped while the family were on their first ever holiday abroad has urged people not to "scrimp" on travel insurance.

Emma Williams, from Llanrug in north Wales, said her 12-year-old daughter Greta was left with a fractured sacrum and pelvis, after the bus lost control and fell on its side while overtaking another vehicle during an excursion, in Alanya, Turkey, last month.

She said Greta, whose care and transport back to the UK was covered by their travel insurance policy, faced a six-month journey to full recovery.

The BBC has approached the company which put on the excursion, Tony Montana Excursions, for comment.

"It's worth paying that little bit extra [for insurance] even if you don't need it. It's for your peace of mind more than anything," said Williams.

Williams, her partner Len, and daughters Greta and eight-year-old Eiry-ana were enjoying a holiday at Eftalia Ocean Hotel and went on numerous excursions.

On 22 July, seven days into their 10-day trip, they visited the Green Canyon where they swam, before setting off for visits to a waterfall and zoo.

On the way to the waterfall, the family travelled in a bus with two other British families, but as the driver overtook another vehicle he "lost control and went downhill".

Williams said the bus "flipped a few times, we nearly hit a tree. There was a massive drop which we could have gone down."

She said the bus had glassless windows, and Greta went halfway through before it fell on its side and landed on her.  "Half of the bus was actually on her pelvis and hips, but her legs and body were inside the bus," she said.

"My partner was also through the window and he wanted to save my youngest daughter, so he was holding her up with all his strength.  Everybody rushed to Greta's aid to flip the bus. I know you're not meant to do things like that really, but it was just human instinct to flip the bus over. She was a 12-year-old child stuck underneath.  My eight-year-old was screaming and she thought Greta was dead, she was panicking. It was just horrific."

Williams said Greta was freed within five minutes of the bus flipping, and was taken to Ozel Manavgat Eslem Hastenesi hospital, alongside the driver, by ambulance.  She said Greta had a CT scan and an X-Ray and said the experience was "horrific".

"It was extremely scary for her. They had to cut all her clothes away from her and she had to stay on a wooden board for 24 hours, and not be moved whatsoever," Williams said.

After eight days in hospital, Greta was transported back to the UK for treatment with Williams in an air ambulance which their £106 travel insurance policy covered.  "They [the pilots and medics] told me it cost €50,000 just for the flight. That was quite scary, £106 paid for that. Anything can happen."

Williams said Jet2, which sold them the package holiday, waived the cost of changing Len and Eiry-ana's flights back to the UK.  Greta was admitted to The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran and had physiotherapy, and will find out on 2 September whether she can return to school.

"We can't do anything until that assessment. It's strict bedrest at the minute.  She's not allowed to do much, she's not allowed to walk loads or do much which is a massive shame. Her friends have been fantastic."

Williams added: "She was petrified when it happened. All she wanted was reassurance from me. We tried to keep it as positive as we could in the circumstances.  She was phenomenally strong. I'm so proud of how she coped."

"This is something that's going to haunt us forever," added Williams.  "It's going to take a long time to get over it all. We need normality to hit first, as we're in the summer holidays, before we can process it properly.

"You can see the accident has impacted them, and being in a foreign country has escalated their fears.  We were trying to fill it in with so many experiences and memories as possible to make it fun-filled.  They don't want to go on holiday ever again. We're going to try and take them somewhere - probably not on an excursion - to ease their mind. It was a one-off freak accident, and these things don't generally happen."

Graeme Buck from the Association of British Travel Agents said travel insurance was "one of the must-haves whenever you travel overseas".

"While most holidays go ahead without any problems, accidents and unexpected events can happen, and the costs of medical treatment and getting home can be significant.  Cheap isn't always the best, and it's important not to choose a policy based on price alone. Holidaymakers should check what their policy covers and make sure they have comprehensive cover that is appropriate for their trip, including any activities they plan to take part in, such as winter sports."

Also a lot of people still work Monday to Friday - it's not good in 2026 if for one of their two days off a week, public transport doesn't function / isn't timetabled.

I do wonder why people don't rather want to go to the seaside on Saturday or (Bank Holiday) MOnday? Services are always poorer on a Sunday

British woman killed in stabbing at German railway station

A British woman has died after being stabbed at a railway station in southern Germany in the early hours of Sunday morning, police have said.

The 31-year-old woman was attacked at the station in Rosenheim, Bavaria, shortly before 01:00 local time (00:00BST). She was taken to hospital where she died as a result of "severe" injuries, the Bavarian Police said in a statement.

Officers arrested a 27-year-old German man at the scene immediately after the incident. The background and motive for the attack is under investigation, the statement added.

Police have asked anyone who may have witnessed "an argument or physical altercation" at the station late on Saturday or early on Sunday to contact them.

The suspect, from the Fürstenfeldbruck district, will be brought before magistrates later on Sunday, according to German news agency DPA.

It is not known if the two knew each other or what the woman was doing in Bavaria, DPA also reported.

Rosenheim is one of the largest cities in Upper Bavaria and is a busy rail hub for passengers travelling to Austrian cities including Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck.

The Rosenheimer Herbstfest - an event similar to the Oktoberfest beer festival - is currently taking place in the area.