Train derailment in central Poland kills 1, injures dozens

[News_Editor]

Train derailment in central Poland kills 1, injures dozens

2011-08-13 22:50:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

WARSAW, POLAND (BNO NEWS) -- One person was killed on Friday afternoon and dozens more were injured when a passenger train carrying some 280 people derailed in central Poland, officials said on Saturday.

The accident happened at around 4.15 p.m. local time in the town of Baby near Piotrków Trybunalski, a city in Lodz province. The train, which was operated by the PKP company, had earlier left Warsaw at 2.04 p.m. local time and was scheduled to arrive in Katowice at 6.30 p.m. local time.

According to TVN24, the accident happened when all four carriages of the train suddenly derailed and overturned. Initial reports had indicated four people were killed, but officials only confirmed one fatality.

In addition, around 70 people on board were reported wounded, the five most serious which were airlifted to hospitals in Lodz, Sosnowiec, and Konskich. Uninjured passengers were transported to a nearby school.

However, officials said the death toll may rise since the overturned carriages have not been lifted yet, and police fear victims could still be trapped under the carriages. Police Brigadier Mariusz Konieczny said authorities were waiting on two trains to lift the fallen carriages.

While rescue dogs continue searching for possible trapped victims, prosecutors said investigations have been launched to determine the causes of the accident. Authorities are still working to determine where exactly the train derailed.

In August 1980, at least 67 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured when a freight train collided with a passenger train near Otloczyn, a village in north-central Poland. It remains the country's deadliest train accident.

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