A VICAR today paid tribute to rail disaster rescue workers who saved his wife's life.

The Rev Bob Batson, of St James's, Fairburn, near Selby, received a mobile phone call from the train at 6.20am on Wednesday from his distraught daughter, Sarah.

She said his wife, Jean, was trapped in the mangled train wreckage.

Nearly three hours later, Jean was finally cut free and transported by Sea King helicopter to St James's Hospital in Leeds with multiple injuries, which included a shattered pelvis, broken collar bone, bruised lung, dislocated elbow and damaged leg.

She had boarded the doomed GNER inter-city train at York to accompany Sarah to a doctor's appointment in London.

Mr Batson, 57, said: "Jean owes her life to the fast response of the emergency services, and to the surgeons who operated straight away.

"She now looks remarkably better, but can't remember anything about the crash, which is probably a good thing."

Mrs Batson, 58, was to be moved out of intensive care today.

Sarah, 20, who was taken to York District Hospital with cuts and bruises, said she thought her mother was dead after she was thrown violently against a doorway on impact.

She said: "I couldn't see her for the first few minutes - it was terrifying. I eventually found her, but was told to leave the carriage by rescuers."

Sarah, who is trained in first-aid, told fellow passengers to press down on cuts to stem the blood flow. "Blood was pouring everywhere," she said.

Mr Batson, who has kept a bedside vigil at St James's with his two daughters, said GNER chief executive Christopher Garnett had also paid a visit.

He said: "Mr Garnett came to express his concern, which we found very touching. I'm very grateful for all the support we've had from people."

Meanwhile, recovery teams today faced the grim task of moving the two most badly-damaged carriages from the site of the crash.

Police say if there are any more bodies to be found, they are likely to be hidden in or under these carriages.

A 200ft crane, which started removing coaches from the crash scene yesterday, was being used to lift these two carriages clear of the track, before placing them in a field at the side.

Search teams were then examining the carriages and the area where they had stood to check for more bodies or human remains.

Updated: 13:59 Saturday, March 03, 2001