This aerial handout photo shows what is left of two commuters trains after their head-on collision in the southern region of Puglia
Two Italian commuter trains collided head-on yesterday in the southern region of Puglia, killing at least 20 people and injuring scores more, officials said. At least two passengers were pulled alive from the crumpled wreckage as the rescue operation took place in the scorching heat.
Giuseppe Corrado, vice president of the province of Andria, told Sky TG24 the death toll stood at 20 and that rescue operations were continuing. Another official stressed the final toll would not be known until the wreckage had been pulled apart.
The two trains, each with four cars, collided head-on at midday in an olive grove on flat terrain between the towns of Andria and Corato on a line with just a single track. The accident occurred around 11:30 a.m. some 50 kilometers northeast of the Puglia regional capital, Bari.
“It’s a disaster as if an airplane fell,” local Mayor Massimo Mazzilli said on his Facebook page, where he posted photos of the crash.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi pledged a thorough investigation and returned to Rome from Milan to monitor the situation.
Some rescue workers seemed overwhelmed by the scene and the heat.
A still photo of the crash showed cars crumpled together like an accordion and forced off the tracks at sharp angles. News reports said rescue workers pulled a small child alive from the rubble. Video images showed ambulances responding to the scene with other rescue workers.
A field hospital was set up in the nearby fields to treat the numerous injured, who were also being transported to hospitals. AP
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