Photo: Vigili Del Fuoco
WEB DESK /
At least 27 people were killed on Tuesday and dozens injured in a head-on collision between two passenger trains in the southern Italian region of Puglia, in one of the country’s worst rail accidents in recent years.
The two trains were on a single track line at the time of the crash, between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta.
The emergency services have been trying to free passengers from the shattered carriages, near the town of Andria. It was unclear what led to the collision.
A local official said it is too early to speculate on the cause, although human error is likely to have been a factor. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told media that every effort will be made to get a clear explanation over what happened. Renzi cut short a visit to Milan in northern Italy to return to Rome.
The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained but there is speculation that is was due to either a “technical glitch” or “human error”. The black box of the train coming from the city of Bari has been found in tact, Ansa reported on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday evening, coffins were taken to the site near the city of Bari to carry away the first of the dead as 200 rescue workers sifted through the wreckage in temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
At least 27 people are reported to have died in the train crash in Puglia. Photo: Vigili Del Fuoco