Military van sliced in half after hitting Stonea railway bridge Published duration 15 October 2019

image copyright Cambs Police image caption The driver sustained "slight" injuries, police said

A military van crashed into a railway bridge, slicing the vehicle in half.

The rear of the van was completely crushed on the B1098 in Stonea, Cambridgeshire by the impact. The driver escaped with minor injuries.

The bridge, which is on the Ely-Peterborough railway line, has a height restriction of 7ft (2.1m).

Network Rail said in 2018 it was Britain's second most hit railway bridge , behind a railway bridge about 18 miles (29km) away in Ely.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed the van was from RAF Wyton, based about 20 miles (32km) from the crash site.

Two military personnel were in the van but neither suffered serious injuries.

Photographs from the scene showed the smashed windscreen of the white van under the bridge, while the rear was almost sliced off and crushed.

image copyright Cambs Police image caption The van crashed into the bridge at about 08:10 BST

image caption A steel beam protected the bridge, but the van was crushed

image copyright Cambs Police image caption The rear of the van was almost sliced off by the impact

A Network Rail spokesman said the bridge was fitted with a protection beam which absorbed the impact of the strike, which happened at about 08:10 BST.

The bridge was not damaged and services on the line were only affected for about 20 minutes, he said.

image copyright Cambs Police image caption The underside of the vehicle was bent by the force of the crash

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