Nine dead in Italian train crash

Italy
Train struck landslide


Train
Nearly fell into river


Rescuers
Treating passengers




Monday, 12 April 2010


At least nine people have been killed and 28 injured after a train derailed in the north Italian region of Alto Adige.
Seven seriously injured people have been hospitalised.


The toll of those killed, which has been revised down from 11 because of an error, is still not final.


The three-carriage train came off the rails at at 9am (8am Irish time) when the front passenger car struck a landslide outside the town of Merano.
After the crash, the front car hit two large trees, which stopped it from falling into a river below.

The wagon was left hanging precariously over the river and firefighters used cables to prevent it from slipping further down the mountainside, ANSA news agency said.


Rescuers had to climb up from the forested riverbank to reach the train, with the civil protection agency and several ambulances at the scene.


The railway line in the province of Bolzano, opened in 2005, is considered one of the most modern tracks in the country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is not aware of any Irish citizens involved in the crash.

makes you realise how small your problems are in comparison.