At least 20 dead and 50 injured in Italy train disaster as mayor likens scene to a ‘plane crash’
The trains collided while travelling along a single track used by 200 trains every day in a popular holiday location near the Adriatic Sea
AT least 20 people are dead and 50 more injured after two passenger trains collided in a head-on smash in Italy today.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi labelled the accident the country's "moment of tears" while the horrific crash scene has been likened to the wreckage of a plane crash.
It occurred about 11.30am in an olive grove in the southern Puglia region on a single train track connecting the towns of Andria and Corato.
Emergency services are still working at the scene and the death toll from the crash is expected to rise, local media reported.
It was reported the crash was caused by a signalling error, or a mistake by one of the drivers.
Photographs showed train carriages were smashed and crumpled by the head-on collision, with debris flung out among the olive trees on either side of the track.
Many of those on board were believed to be tourists en route to a local airport, reported.
One of the first people to the site told the broadcaster the crash scene was "frightening".
"I saw dead people, some seeking help, people crying. It was the worst sight of my life."
The nearby city of Bari is a popular summer holidays destination - sparking fears British nationals may have been on board.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are seeking information from local authorities following a train crash in southern Italy, and are ready to assist any British nationals affected."
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Italy's prime minister Matteo Renzi called the crash "a moment of tears" for Italy and pledged not to stop until a cause is determined.
"We won't stop until we get a clear explanation over what happened," he said.
Rescuers are continuing to pull people from the wreckage where passengers remain trapped inside carriages.
Riccardo Zingaro, the head of traffic police in Andria, said: "Some of the carriages are utterly crumpled and the rescue services are pulling people out. Many are wounded. I think many are dead."
The mayor of nearby Corato, Massimo Mazzilli, described the scene as "like a plane crash".
A field hospital has been set up in the nearby fields to treat the numerous injured, who were also being transported to hospitals.
Many university students were believed to be travelling on the trains, and at least one child has been airlifted alive from the scene.
An official told Sky TG24 that the boy, about 7, was injured, but not in danger of dying.
He appealed for donations of blood group O and said: "There could still be someone in the wreckage."
The trains, each comprised of four cars, collided on a single line - where work is underway to build a second track. Some 200 trains use the track everyday.
Luca Cari, a fire service spokesman, said: "We are working with dozens of rescue teams to open up the carriages.
"The rescue is complicated because this happened in the middle of the countryside."
The two trains belong to a local private rail company, Ferrotramviaria SpA.
Italy's national rail service, Ferrovia dello Stato, identified the company in a statement Tuesday, offering its condolences and support services.
Ferrotramviaria is a Bari-based private train company that connects the capital of Puglia with regional towns to the north and the airport, operating about 20 small electric trains.
It was founded in 1937 and serves students and commuters.
A company spokesperson said they did not yet know what the cause of the accident was.
"We have opened an internal investigation, as well as that of the judiciary.
"We operate 196 trains a day, nothing like this has happened before. There are technicians on site and now the priority is to handle the large flow of commuters who travel on this route and who will be transported by bus."
The last major rail disaster in Italy was in 2009 when a freight train derailed in Viareggio, in the centre of the country, with more than 30 people living close to the tracks killed in the subsequent fire.
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