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The image of the crash site, being circulated on social media.
AT least 20 people were killed in a head-on collision between two trains in southern Italy, where firefighters are still rescuing people from rubble.
The trains collided near the town of Andria, according to news agency ANSA and Sky TG24.
National police and Carabinieri couldn’t immediately give details about the extent of the crash, saying they were in the middle of responding.
Crumpled wagon cars are seen after two commuter trains collided head-on near the town of Andria, in the southern region of Puglia. Picture: Italian Firefighter Press Office via APSource:AP
ANSA said ambulances and fire trucks were at the scene. News reports said rescue workers were pulling victims from the rubble, including a small child who was alive.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were unsure whether any of the victims were Australian.
“The Australian Embassy in Rome is making urgent enquires with local authorities to determine whether any Australians have been involved in the train crash in southern Italy,†a DFAT spokesman said.
This is an image purportedly of the head-on smash.
Firemen working near crashed carriages after a head-on collision between two trains between Ruvo and Corato, in the southern Italian region of Puglia. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
Footage from the scene (above) showed emergency services racing to extract people from two smashed carriages thrown across the tracks in the incident, which happened on a single track stretch of line.
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.
“This is a moment for tears in which we need to work to recover the victims and wounded,†he added.
A policeman standing near crashed carriages after a head-on collision between two trains between Ruvo and Corato, in the southern Italian region of Puglia. Picture: AFPSource:AFP
“Some of the carriages are utterly crumpled and the rescue services are pulling people out, many are wounded,†Riccardo Zingaro, head of traffic police in Andria, told journalists from the scene.
Renzi said he was returning immediately to Rome following the crash.
Investigators said it was possible the collision was caused by human error.
One of the four-carriage trains was supposed to have waited at a station for a green light before heading down the single track between the towns of Corato and Andria.
A view of the scene of a train accident after two commuter trains collided head-on near the town of Andria. Picture: Italian Firefighter Press Office via APSource:AP
The two trains that crashed head-on in Italy’s southern Puglia region belong to a local private rail company, Ferrotramviaria SpA.
Italy’s national rail service, Ferrovia dello Stato, identified the company in a statement, offering its condolences and support services.
Ferrotramviaria is a Bari-based private train company that connects the capital of Puglia with regional towns to the north and the airport, operating about 20 small electric trains. It was founded in 1937 and serves students and commuters.