Italy Train Crash: At Least 2 Dead, 100 People Injured After Derailment

UPDATE: 5:21 a.m. EST- Death toll from the train derailment accident near Milan, Italy rose to four as rescue operations continue, emergency services said, according to the Local.

UPDATE: 4:54 a.m. EST- Milan police chief Marcello Cardona arrived at the scene of the crash while rescue operations were still ongoing and said technicians investigating the incident had "identified a breakdown between carriages" but added that thorough investigations were underway in order to clarify and to ascertain the exact cause behind the accident.

UPDATE: 4:46 a.m. EST- Death toll from the train derailment in Italy rose to three, emergency services said, according to the Local, an English language news network in Europe. Earlier, the number of people killed were said to be two, however, Italy's Rai News said shortly after 10.30 am local time (4:30 a.m. EST) that a total of three people had died and all of the deceased were women.

Original story

At least two people died and 100 were left injured after a commuter train derailed close to Milan during the early hours of Thursday, reports said. However, the death toll could rise as there were still people trapped inside as rescue operations were ongoing.

The eight-car train, which was packed with passengers, derailed between Treviglio and Pioltello on the outskirts of the Italian city at around 7 a.m. local time (1 a.m. EST) on Thursday morning.

Pictures from the crash scene showed buckled carriages with commuters trying to climb out through windows of the damaged train. Blood appeared to be running down the sides of some of the carriages as emergency workers continued rescue operations, helping free people from the wreckage, the Telegraph reported.

At least 10 people among the injured were said to be in critical condition. A number of train services were delayed or suspended while emergency personnel dealt with the accident.

Two carriages of the commuter train peeled off the rails and came to rest at an angle. Emergency rescue crews climbed through them, helping the passengers to escape.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear and remains unknown, however the images from the scene showed the carriages that were derailed were in the center of the train, according to Express.co.uk.

Italian Railway Network technicians were conducting checks along the line in order to determine the cause of the accident.

The Trenord-operated train was heading from Cremona to Milan’s Garibaldi station. Trenord is one of Italy’s regional train companies that serves the Lombardy region. The company has had a bad reputation among passengers alluding to dirty, packed cars and frequent delays.

There have been previous accidents involving Italy’s ageing rail system.

In 2016, 23 people were killed when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in the south-eastern region of Puglia. In 2009, 32 people died when a freight train, which was carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and then exploded in Viareggio, in the central Tuscany region.