Derailed carriages are seen at the scene of a train crash near Stonehaven in northeast Scotland on Aug 12, 2020. Three people have died after a passenger train derailed in northeast Scotland, police said, in what First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described as "an extremely serious incident". (MICHAL WACHUCIK / AFP)

STONEHAVEN, Scotland - Three people died in a train derailment in eastern Scotland on Wednesday that left carriages overturned and piled on top of each other on a steep wooded slope, making it hard for emergency services to access the scene.

Dark smoke billowed from the site of the accident for most of the day after the ScotRail train derailed in the morning in a narrow valley near Stonehaven, south of the city of Aberdeen.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was saddened to learn of the “very serious incident” and his thoughts were with all those affected

Aerial footage showed one carriage detached from the rail tracks and lying on its side some distance down the slope. Another was completely overturned and had two carriages resting on it, one of which was also overturned.

Two air ambulances and about 30 emergency service vehicles could be seen in a field just above the site. With rescue workers hampered by the steep terrain and dense woodland, it took many hours for casualty numbers to be confirmed.

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The British Transport Police said the driver was believed to have been among the dead. Six people were taken to hospital with injuries not thought to be serious, and officers believed everyone who had been on board was accounted for.

Emergency services attend the scene of a derailed train in Stonehaven, Scotland, Aug 12, 2020. Police and paramedics were responding Wednesday to a train derailment in northeast Scotland, where smoke could be seen rising from the site. Officials said there were reports of serious injuries. The hilly area was hit by storms and flash flooding overnight. (DEREK IRONSIDE / NEWSLINE-MEDIA VIA AP)

The force gave no indication on the causes of the derailment, saying only that it was investigating.

Stonehaven and the surrounding area had been hit by floods in recent days following heavy rain and some reports suggested a landslide may have played a part in the derailment, although that was not confirmed by the authorities.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was saddened to learn of the “very serious incident” and his thoughts were with all those affected.

The train appeared to have been carrying very few passengers. The government has been advising Britons to avoid public transport wherever possible as part of efforts to reduce transmission of the coronavirus.

Emergency services attend the scene of a derailed train in Stonehaven, Scotland, Aug 12, 2020. (ROSS JOHNSTON / NEWSLINE-MEDIA VIA AP)

Britain has one of Europe’s lowest rates of fatal rail accidents, with a stronger safety record than Germany or France in recent years, according to Eurostat data that includes unauthorised people on railway tracks and at level crossings.

For passengers, European railways are very safe, with just 13 rail passenger deaths across the European Union’s 28 member states in 2018, according to the most recent available data from Eurostat. One of those was in Britain.

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