Italian train crash kills at least 20

AT least 20 people have died and more than 30 have been injured in a head-on collision between two trains in southern Italy on Tuesday morning (July 12), local authorities have reported.

The accident occurred just after 11am on a single-line stretch between Corato and Andria in the Apulia region, and rescue teams continue searching for victims amongst the remains of the trains.

“There are many victims,” Andria police chief Riccardo Zingaro said. The trains affected cover regional routes and are generally busy, however there is no official estimation of how many passengers were on board at the time of the crash.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has cut his visit to a Milan museum short and returned to Rome to await news. “We won’t stop until we discover what has happened,” the PM said after expressing his support for the victims’ relatives.

Meanwhile European Transport commissioner Violeta Bulc expressed her dismay on Twitter and said the European Rail Agency would be available to provide any assistance it could.

Calls have been made on social media for doctors and nurses in the area to urgently contact the Local Police, and requests have gone out for people to give blood at Andria hospital.