12th July, 2016
No fewer than 10 people died while dozens are injured after two passenger trains collided in the middle of an olive grove in southern Italy, a spokesman for the fire brigade said.
Police said the accident happened on a single stretch of track between the towns of Corato and Andria, Reuters reports.
An aerial image showed train carriages were smashed and crumpled by the head-on collision, with debris spread out on either side of the track.
“I believe there are many dead,” said Riccardo Zingaro, captain of the Andria fire brigade.
“There was a head-on collision on a single track, several carriages were completely crushed and the emergency workers are pulling people out of the train, there are many injured.”
According to a report, rescue workers are pulling victims from the rubble, including a small child who was alive.
National police and Carabinieri couldn’t immediately give details about the extent of the crash, saying they were in the middle of responding.
Italy’s prime minister says the train crash “is a moment of tears” and has pledged not to stop until a cause is determined.
Matteo Renzi was speaking in Milan after the head-on collision in the southern region of Puglia on Tuesday morning.