A high-speed train derailment near Milan in Italy has resulted in the deaths of two train workers and injured around 30 people.
The accident occurred at 5:30am (GMT+1) on 7 February 2020 near the town of Lodi, located 50km from Milan.
The train was travelling to Salerno from Milan and was approaching Bologna when the accident occurred.
Lodi Prefect Marcello Cardona stated: “It was a serious accident that had a tragic end with the death of two rail workers.”
The authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident. The train had 33 people on board at the time.
Media reports suggest that the high-speed train’s engine derailed. It then collided with a freight wagon on the parallel track, after which it hit a building.
On 5 February, rail workers carried out maintenance on the track. Cardona said that no investigators cannot make any conclusions at this early stage.
He added: “Line maintenance is done continually and it’s much too early to associate the accident to maintenance.”
Operators have suspended trains on the Milan-Bologna high-speed route and redirected them onto conventional lines.
Last month, eight coaches of the Lokmanya Tilak Express derailed near Cuttack in the Indian state of Odisha, injuring 20 people. Reports suggest that heavy fog around the area may have caused the accident.
In November, two trains collided head-on in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh, killing at least 16 people and injuring 58 others. The incident happened in the early hours of 12 November.
