Thirty-five passengers and two staff escaped injury after a train derailed in County Armagh on Friday afternoon.

The train - the 1520 service from Belfast to Portadown - hit a herd of cows which had wandered onto the track, three miles outside Lurgan.

A number of cows were killed.

The passengers were taken to Lurgan station by bus, from where they continued their journey.

Ciaran Rogan, a spokesman for the railway company said Translink would launch "a full investigation" into the incident.

'Badly shaken'

He added: "The first car of the three-car set was derailed.

"Fortunately the passengers and two staff on board suffered no injuries of any sort, but they were badly shaken," he added.

"Obviously cattle on the line can lead to serious consequences. There have been fatalities in similar cases in the past.

"Luckily in this case, the driver saw the cattle on the track and hit the brakes."

For a number of hours after the collision passengers were bussed between Lurgan and Portadown.

However, the track has now been reopened and services are operating normally.