Relatives of the victims of the Selby rail crash gathered at a special service yesterday to commemorate those who died and pray for the injured and for grieving relatives.

The 45-minute service was held at the parish church of St Paul in Hensall, North Yorkshire a mile from the crash site at Great Heck, where at least ten people died.

Relatives of three victims were among the 250-strong congregation.

Mary Dunn, wife of freight train driver Stephen Dunn, who died in Wednesday's tragedy, paused briefly to wipe away a tear before entering the 19th Century church. The couple's young sons, Andrew and James, were accompanied by family members and police liaison officers.

Four survivors, plus local villagers, civil officials and representatives from the rail companies and emergency services also attended. Several relatives were overcome by emotion during the service and left in tears.

In his sermon, the Bishop of Doncaster, the Right Reverend Cyril Ashton, said the service was "perhaps, above all, an attempt to offer hope beyond the tragedy".

Recovery teams at the crash site, who held a two-minute silence during the service, have warned they will be unable to confirm a final death toll until wreckage is cleared. The names of more victims are expected to be released today.

l A man aged 27, from Coventry, was last night charged with wasting police time and obstructing a coroner after allegedly falsely claiming that a relative was missing in the crash. He is to appear in court today.