By Calvin Palmer
A freight train carrying liquefied gas left the tracks last night causing an explosion that killed at least 15 people and injured 50 others in an Italian seaside resort.
The train ran into several homes in Viareggio, Tuscany, which were quickly engulfed in flames. The explosion caused two houses to collapse and it is feared one of the buildings had 18 people inside.
Of the 50 people injured, 36 are said to be in a serious condition. At least 30 people are said to be missing.
Two children, whose bodies have been recovered, were among the dead.
“We saw a ball of fire rising up to the sky,” said Gianfranco Bini, who lives in a building overlooking the station. “We heard three big rumbles, like bombs. It looked like war had broken out.”
The inferno occurred around midnight when a wagon came off the rails and the rear of the train smashed into houses next to Viareggio’s railway station, setting fire to a vast area.
“The cars flipped over on their sides on the rails and the gas spread out among the nearest houses before exploding,” said Antonio Gambardella, commander of the firefighters at the scene.
Hundreds of firemen from across the region were rushed to the area to help with the rescue operation and ensure remaining tankers do not catch fire.
They dug through the rubble of collapsed or burnt homes looking for casualties, while others wearing nuclear, biological and chemical threats fought to contain the blaze.
An estimated 1,000 people were evacuated from the area because of the danger of more explosions, said Luca Lunardini, the town’s mayor.
The train’s two engineers were only slightly injured and were questioned in hospital.
The state-owned railway company says that the accident was caused by failure of one of the bogies on a leading tank wagon.
Italy’s minister of transport, Altero Matteoli, has appointed a commission of inquiry.
[Based on reports by The Daily Telegraph and Corriere della Sera.]
