Probe after Tube passenger dragged along platform and into tunnel after getting handbag trapped in train doors

An investigation has been launched after an elderly woman was dragged along a London Undergound station platform and into a tunnel after becoming trapped in a train door.

The 78-year-old suffered serious injuries after her bag got caught in the doors of a Tube train passing through Notting Hill Gate station last month.

Terrified passengers described the moment the pensioner “screamed for help” after she was pulled along the platform and into the tunnel as the Central line train left the platform.

Accident investigators have said the woman was unable to free her bag or let go of it before the westbound train departed despite commuters rushing to help her.

A passenger who saw her in distress activated emergency alarms on the train and the driver applied the brakes, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said. But six of the train’s eight coaches were already in the tunnel by the time it came to a standstill.

Emergency services and London Underground's emergency response unit rescued the woman from the space between the underside of the train and the tunnel wall.

She was rushed to hospital in critical condition after suffering life changing injuries, and remains in hospital recovering following the incident at 4pm on January 31.

Shabana Khan wrote on Twitter that emergency crews removed her bag and coat from the doors of the carriage before the train was evacuated.

She said: “They got her bag and coat out from under the door of our carriage, which had got stuck. Everyone tried to stay calm not have panic attacks but all of us in tears.”

The “horrified” passenger later added: “God I'm still in shock & shaken up by this. First that thud under our carriage and all of us feeling sick that something terrible has happened.

“Then the guys in our carriage shouting are you OK?? And hearing her screaming help me! Just want her to be OK.”

The RAIB is seeking witnesses to help with its investigation, which aims to determine the sequence of events.

The process of checking whether it is safe for a train to depart and the door's obstacle detection system will also be considered during the inquiry.

British Transport Police at the time confirmed the incident was not being treated as suspicious.

Nigel Holness, Network Operations Director for London Underground, said: “Our thoughts are with the woman injured in the incident at Notting Hill Gate.

"The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority , and we will co-operate fully with the RAIB and implement any recommendations that come from their investigation or from our own internal investigation.”