 |
|
Several carriages were completely destroyed in the collision on a single-track line near Andria
|
Twenty people have been killed and
dozens more hurt in a head-on collision involving two passenger trains
in southern Italy, officials say.
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.
 |
|
The trains were travelling at high speed
|
One of those pulled from the wreckage was a small child, who was airlifted to hospital. The local authorities have appealed for blood donors to come forward. It was unclear what led to the collision, which happened in good
weather at 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) in the southern region of
Puglia.
 |
|
Wreckage lay strewn around the olive grove beside the tracks
|
A local prosecutor in nearby Trani said it was too early
to speculate on the cause, although human error was likely to have been a
factor.
Italian reports said one of the trains had come from Andria, and the
other from Corato, a short distance to the south-east. Both were
travelling at high speed.
