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A commuter is fighting for his life after being hit by an oncoming train in an horrific accident at Stockwell station during the morning rush hour.

Police said the man, thought to be in his 20s, was taken to hospital after the incident just before 9am today.

One witness said the man's head was "pretty much sliced off" in the horrific accident as he bent down as a train approached.

He posted: "Just saw a poor guy get his head pretty much sliced off by the tube @ stockwell as he bent over to get his bag. Poor guy. Hoping he's ok :(".

Witness Isabelle Zonderland, 25, who works in digital marketing, told the Standard the man's face was "covered in blood" after the accident.

She said: "I was on the tube when it happened. He got hit only metres from our carriage.

"He had with him a beige suitcase and it seems as though the bag may have rolled towards the tracks and when he went to grab it, he was hit by the train.

Describing the moment of impact, Miss Zonderland, from Balham, added: “There was a jolt and the train stopped just before all of the carriages were on the platform. We were stood still for 10 or 15 minutes and then the driver made an announcement.

"His voice was really shaky and he apologised for the delay and said there had been an incident and that they would try to get us off the tube as soon as possible.

“It was such a shocking thing to see. One girl who was standing close to the guy when it happened was in total shock.

"His face was covered in blood."

A Tube worker said: "Thankfully his head was in one piece. But there was a lot of blood as there would be with an injury like that.

"The driver actually did very well to stop to the extent that he could when he did.

"It just happened as he bent over to pick up something, a lighter or a bag or something that we're not sure of and the train hit him. He didn't get dragged under which was lucky and he landed straight back on the platform. As I say, his head was in one piece but quite badly hurt."

Another witness, actor Raj Lucas, told the Standard: "I was about midway on the platform and the tube was pulling in and suddenly I heard screams from the start of the platform.

"The people closer to the incident (who saw it) were visibly very distressed. I saw people on the floor so I wasn't sure if the person actually just got hit and landed on the platform, or if these people were just on the floor because they were distraught at seeing someone fall on the track.

"We were eventually made to evacuate the station, and when I was leaving there was a lady next to me who was inconsolable. She kept saying 'It was an accident, I can't believe it'."

One witness outside the Tube station, called Paul, said: "There were hundreds of people outside, police and ambulances, and I saw a girl crying and being put into a police car and a policeman had his arm around her and another girl who got on a bus with me was saying that someone had been decapitated on the platform and that it had happened as they had tried to bend over to get something.

"There were lots of ambulances and about 10 to 15 police officers and four or five police cars."

Ryan Kelly, who saw the aftermath of the incident, said he saw a "topless man surrounded by paramedics and police with a lot of blood".

He tweeted: "Wow, can't unsee what I saw at Stockwell. Hope he's OK".

Shortly after 9am this morning Chris Stevenson wrote online: "North bound northern line train I was on just hit man at stockwell. Staff amazing. Serious head injury and unconscious. Hoping he will b ok."

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “We were called to Stockwell London Underground station at 8.52am on Friday, 10 April, to reports of a person being struck by a train.

“Colleagues from Metropolitan Police Service and London Ambulance Service also attended, and a man, believed to be in his twenties, was taken to hospital for treatment.

“The incident is not being treated as suspicious at this time.”

London Underground's Chief Operating Officer Nick Brown said: "We are investigating the incident to understand exactly what happened but we have already established that while the station was busy, the platform was not overcrowded.

“The safety of customers and staff is our top priority and we do all we can to ensure customers can travel safely at all times."

The station has since reopened after the incident.