ROME: Five railway workers were killed Wednesday night after being struck by a train in northern Italy while doing maintenance work at night, firefighters and officials confirmed.
Italian news sources said the train, operating on the Milan–Turin line and carrying just wagons, struck a crew repairing track near Brandizzo, outside Turin, at 160 km/h (99 mph). The fire service said, “Five workers were killed by a passing train, and two others were injured.” The men’s bodies were allegedly dragged for several meters, and their ages ranged from 22 to 52.
According to Italian news media, the train driver was in shock but not hurt, and two of their coworkers were not hurt but are still being monitored in the hospital.
The organization in charge of running the Italian rail system, RFI, has acknowledged that a train that was “not in commercial service” struck five workers from an outside contractor just before midnight and killed them all. In addition to expressing its “deep sorrow” and condolences to the victim’s families, it also stated that inquiries were underway.
The rescue worker had described to Brandizzo’s mayor, Paolo Bodoni, a “chilling scene, with human remains across 300 meters,” according to reports from the AGI news agency.
“It’s a big tragedy. It may have happened due to a communication error. However, that would be investigated,” he said.
Early on Thursday morning, the Turin-Milan train line remained shut down. Stefano Lo Russo, mayor of Turin, called it a “huge tragedy that leaves us all shocked” and sent his condolences to the family members of those killed. —AFP/APP
