Official: 20 dead in head-on train crash in southern Italy

[snoop1130]

Official: 20 dead in head-on train crash in southern Italy
COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Two Italian commuter trains collided head-on Tuesday in the southern region of Puglia, killing at least 20 people and injuring scores more, officials said. At least two passengers were pulled alive from the crumpled wreckage as the rescue operation took place in the scorching heat.

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Giuseppe Corrado, vice president of the province of Andria, told Sky TG24 the death toll stood at 20 and that rescue operations were continuing. Another official stressed the final toll would not be known until the wreckage had been pulled apart.

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The two trains, each with four cars, collided head-on at midday in an olive grove on flat terrain between the towns of Andria and Corato on a line with just a single track. The accident occurred around 11:30 a.m. some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the Puglia regional capital, Bari.

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"It's a disaster as if an airplane fell," local Mayor Massimo Mazzilli said on his Facebook page, where he posted photos of the crash.

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Italian Premier Matteo Renzi pledged a thorough investigation and returned to Rome from Milan to monitor the situation.

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Riccardo Zingaro, the chief of the local police in Andria, told Sky it was "a great tragedy." Some rescue workers seemed overwhelmed by the scene and the heat.

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A still photo of the crash showed cars crumpled together like an accordion and forced off the tracks at sharp angles. News reports said rescue workers pulled a small child alive from the rubble. Video images showed ambulances responding to the scene with other rescue workers.

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"The impact was significant, and we are now verifying the consequences," said Giovanni De Siervo of Italy's civil protection service.
A field hospital was set up in the nearby fields to treat the numerous injured, who were also being transported to hospitals.

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-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-12

[MaxYakov]

Italy train crash: 'Twenty killed' near Bari - BBC News - July 12, 2016

[Redline]

Why are there still head on crashes in this day and age! We have the technology to stop them

[halloween]

The old system, used here, involves a "key" (usually on a loop of wire) for a section of track. The driver will/should not proceed unless he has the key. If more than one key is used, they are on an interlock system where only one key can be used at any time. You can often see driver's offsiders swapping keys with station staff as the train passes through "loop" stations.

What is strange with this accident is they are both passenger services. How can 2 scheduled services be on a single track at the same time?