At least 12 die in head-on train crash in southern Italy

At least 12 people have been killed after two trains collided head-on in southern Italy, say firefighters. Dozens of other passengers are reported to have been injured in the crash, near the town of Andria, in the region of Puglia. Pictures show the four-carriage commuter trains collided on a stretch of single track running through olive groves. Reports said rescue workers were pulling victims from the wreckage, including a small child who was alive.

Some of the cars are completely crumpled and the rescuers are extracting people from the metal, many of them injured.

Local police chief Riccardo Zingaro

An aerial image showed train carriages derailed and badly damaged by the collision, with debris spread out on either side of the track. The Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, said the train crash “is a moment of tears”. He has cut short a visit to Milan in the north of the country following the accident. “We won’t stop until we get a clear explanation over what happened,” he told reporters. Investigators said it was possible the collision was caused by human error. One of the 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.

Italy train