At least 10 seriously injured in incident at Pioltello-Limito station on outskirts of the city

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

At least three people have been killed and 12 seriously injured after a packed commuter train derailed near Milan in northern Italy.



Hours after the crash, rescuers continued to search for passengers inside the wreckage. One of the carriages was lying across the track, bent almost at a right angle.

About 100 other people sustained light injuries, Cristina Corbetta, an official with the regional emergency services in Milan, told Sky TG24.

She said the incident had happened at around 7am (6am GMT) near Segrate in Milan’s north-eastern suburbs. The cause was not immediately clear.

Many of the passengers were travelling to work in Italy’s economic capital, or were students.

The injured were evacuated on stretchers, while those with serious injuries received first aid in a field near the accident.



Journalists watched from a field about 100 metres from the site. Three helicopters arrived to rush the injured to hospital while another patrolled the area.

One of the injured, seen with ripped clothes, covered with a thermal blanket and wearing an oxygen mask, was evacuated by helicopter.

The first images released by the fire service showed a passenger trapped in their seat, surrounded by bits of the collapsed ceiling, and part of the wall twisted by the shock.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Firefighters inside a derailed carriage. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

One woman told the newspaper La Repubblica that her daughter had called her to say: “Mummy, help, the train is derailing” as the accident happened. Since then, the woman said, there had been no reply on her daughter’s telephone.



Italian media quoted witnesses as saying the train had begun to shake heavily as if it were travelling over rocks. Then it braked suddenly and derailed.

Milan prosecutors have opened a probe into the accident, and investigators have begun questioning the driver, Italian media said.

The regional train had left the town of Cremona at 5.32am and was scheduled to arrive in Milan at 724am.

The train belonged to the Lombardy regional rail company Trenord, which is owned in equal parts by the public company Trenitalia and Ferrovie Nord Milano. Trenord informed passengers at 8am of the interruption to services due to a “technical problem”, sparking sharp criticism on social media.

It was the latest incident involving Italy’s ageing rail system. In 2016, 23 people died when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in the south-eastern region of Puglia. In 2009, 32 people were killed when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Viareggio, in the central Tuscany region.</s>SEGGIANO DI PIOLTELLO, Italy (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and 13 seriously injured on Thursday when a train carrying some 250 people along a busy commuter route derailed near Milan in northern Italy, regional authorities said.

Several carriages of the train operated by Trenord derailed around 7 am (0600 GMT) close to the Pioltello Limito station, some 20 km (13 miles) outside Milan, Italian state-owned rail company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) said.

“There currently are three dead, five severely injured and eight injured in ‘code yellow’, all of whom are in hospital,” the body representing the Interior Ministry in Milan said in an emailed statement.

Search and rescue efforts ended around 11 am local time and about 100 passengers who suffered minor injuries were given shelter in a nearby gymnasium.

The head of Milan police said an investigation had been opened, with railway police interrogating the train driver.

The line links Milan and the northern city of Cremona. The accident caused disruption to rail traffic and some trains had to be re-routed.

RFI said it had detected some structural collapse in the track but that it was still unclear whether this was a cause or a consequence of the accident.

“The rail track collapse was detected 2.3 kilometres before the spot of the accident, just before the Pioltello platform... but it is premature to establish the dynamics of the accident,” RFI regional director Vincenzo Macello told reporters.

Macello added that maintenance work was regularly carried out on the track and that it was constantly monitored.

Slideshow (4 Images)

A spokesperson for Trenord said the train had been travelling at a normal speed as it approached the station. Trenord is a joint venture between railway operator FNM and Trenitalia, an FS unit.

“There are precedents... but our (rail) system is among the safest in Europe. What worries us is maintenance, often carried out by subcontractors and not railway staff,” union secretary Adriano Coscia said on SKY TG24 television.

Milan Mayor Beppe Sala called for more investment in Italy’s infrastructure to improve transport safety.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A rescue operation is under way to remove passengers from the debris

A packed commuter train has derailed near the northern Italian city of Milan, leaving at least three people dead and around 10 seriously injured.

Several people were rescued from the wreckage of the carriages that derailed next to the Pioltello Limito station in the morning rush hour.

The cause of the accident is not yet clear but a collapse of the rail track is under investigation.

Witnesses said the train trembled for a few minutes before the accident.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Firefighters are battling to free passengers from the debris

Image copyright AFP Image caption The train derailed at Pioltello Limito station

The Trenord train, carrying some 250 people, was heading to Milan's Porta Garibaldi station from Cremona when it derailed at about 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

The train was travelling at normal speed when the accident happened, a spokesperson for Trenord told Reuters news agency. Services in the area were halted for hours.

The identities of the victims have not been confirmed, but Italian media report that they are all women.

"A train can derail for only two reasons; either through a structural collapse of the track or a collapse of the train. This is the first thing that needs to be cleared up," said Raffaele Cattaneo, president of the regional council.

RFI, which manages the rail network, said there was a rupture in the track but that it was unclear whether this was a cause or a consequence of the accident.

"The rail track collapse was detected 2.3km [1.4 miles] before the spot of the accident... but it is premature to establish the dynamics of the accident," said regional director Vincenzo Macello.

Italy's deadly train accidents

July 2016: Two trains collided on a single track in Puglia, killing 23 people

November 2012: Six people believed to be Romanian farm workers are killed after a van they were travelling in is struck by a train as it crosses railway tracks in Calabria

June 2009: Freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derails in Viareggio, causing a large explosion. More than 30 people die

January 2005: A head-on collision between a passenger and a freight train near Crevalcore kills 17

July 2002: A passenger train derails in Rometta Messina, killing eight people

April 1978: Two trains collide near a ravine next to Murazze Vado. Some of the carriages fall into the gorge, killing 42

Sources: Ansa, Corriere della Sera</s>A train derailment near Italy’s financial capital Milan killed between three and five people on Thursday, a fire brigade official at the city’s control room said.

State train firm Ferrovie dello Stato said in a statement a regional train, operated by Trenord, derailed at the Pioltello Limito station, some 40 kilometres from Milan, without giving details on potential casualties.

“There are between three and five dead in the accident from what we know at the moment,” the fire official said.

TV channels RaiNews24 and SkyTG24 reported at least two people had been killed and 10 seriously injured, citing emergency services.

Television footage showed fire brigades trying to free people trapped inside the wagons of the train, which were bent by the impact.

Train circulation between Milan and the nearby city of Brescia was halted after the accident, Ferrovie dello Stato said in the statement.

Trenord is a joint venture between railway operator FNM and one unit of state railway operator Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato.

In a statement FNM confirmed the accident had happened at Pioltello and said its Chairman Andrea Gibelli was on his way to the site. FNM did not give any detail on casualties. – Reuters</s>A commuter train has derailed near Italy's financial capital Milan, killing at least three people and seriously injuring 13, the government said.

Several carriages of a regional train operated by Trenord derailed early in the morning at a switch track near the Pioltello Limito station, less than 20km outside Milan station, Italian state-owned rail company Ferrovie dello Stato said.

It did not give further details.

Passengers reported feeling the car shake for a few minutes before hearing a big bang, and then feeling the car crush in on them.

The train was heading from Cremona, in eastern Lombardy, into Milan's Garibaldi station and came off the rails at a switch track, suggesting that at least played a role in the derailment, the local prefect said.

The head of Milan police said an investigation has been opened, with railway police interrogating the train driver and first evidence pointing at either a collapse of the tracks or a problem with a track switch.

A spokesperson for Trenord said the train was travelling at normal speed as it was approaching the station.

The latest in a number of rail incidents

Trenord is the regional train company serving the Lombardy region. It is notorious among passengers for dirty, packed cars and frequent delays.

On social media Thursday, it was ridiculed for tweets blaming delays into Milan on a "technical inconvenience" involving a train.

It was the latest in a number of incidents involving Italy's aging rail system.

In 2016, 23 people were killed when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in Puglia, south eastern Italy.

In 2009, 32 people were killed when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Viareggio, in central Italy's Tuscany region.</s>A commuter train has derailed near Milan, killing at least two people and injuring about 100.

Firefighters are trying to free several people trapped in one carriage, between the stations of Treviglio and Pioltello, Italy's Rai news reports.

Ten people are critically injured. Hundreds of commuters were on board.

The Trenord train was heading to Milan from Cremona, in northern Italy. The cause of the crash is not yet clear. It happened just before 07:00 (06:00 GMT).

Pictures show the twisted wreckage of two carriages at the scene. The train had been heading for Milan's Porta Garibaldi station.</s>Three people died Wednesday and almost 100 people were hurt, including seven with life-threatening injuries, as a crowded commuter train derailed in the eastern outskirts of Milan.

About 10 people were in serious, but not critical condition, and about 80 were lightly injured, a spokeswoman for regional health minister Giulio Gallera told dpa.

The victims are all women, regional parliament speaker Raffaele Lombardo told reporters after visiting the site of the accident.

"It was the commuter hour, the train was full," Chiara Ambrosio, the deputy police chief of Milan, told news channel SkyTG24.

The Trenord train left Cremona, a city about 90 kilometers south-east of Milan, at about 5:30 am (0430 GMT) and derailed at around 7 am near the suburban municipality of Pioltello.

It was the latest incident involving Italy's aging rail system. In 2016, 23 people were killed when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in Puglia, southeastern Italy. In 2009, 32 people were killed when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Viareggio, in central Italy's Tuscany region.</s>A train has derailed near the Italian city of Milan, killing at least three people and injuring more than 100.

The Trenord commuter service had been travelling from Cremona, in the Lombardy region, towards Milan's Garibaldi station.

It was carrying hundreds of people, many of them heading to work, when it derailed at Pioltello Limito station on the outskirts of Milan at about 7am, emergency services said.

Two centre carriages came off the rails, coming to rest at an angle.

The field beside the railway lines was filled with emergency vehicles, with rescue workers climbing through the carriages helping passengers to escape.

Cristina Corbetta, an official with the regional emergency services in Milan, told Sky TG24 that about 100 people had suffered minor injuries and 10 had been seriously hurt.

Five or six people are still trapped inside the train, according to the TV station.

The cause of the derailment is not yet clear.

Milan police chief Marcello Cardona told the ANSA news agency: "We have identified a failure between wagons, but all the investigations are still under way to clarify the picture."

The last major train crash on Italy's ageing rail network was in 2016, when 23 people were killed in a two-train collision in Puglia.

In 2009, 32 people died when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Tuscany.</s>A commuter train carrying hundreds of people has derailed in northern Italy killing at least three people and seriously injuring 10, police said. Two carriages of a Trenord train peeled off the rails at a switch track near Piotello Limito station on the outskirts of Milan.

Emergency services climbed through the wreckage helping the passengers to escape. The accident happened early on Thursday as people headed into Milan at the start of the work day on the Trenord service. Dozens more people were trapped in the wreckage receiving minor injuries, authorities said.

The train was heading from Cremona into Milan's Garibaldi station and came off the rails at points, suggesting that at least played a role in the derailment, the local prefect said. Passengers said they felt the car shake for a few minutes before hearing a big bang, and then feeling the carriage crush in on them. The incident halted train traffic into and out of Italy's financial capital for hours.

It was the latest incident involving Italy's ageing rail system. In 2016, 23 people were killed when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in Puglia, south-eastern Italy. In 2009, 32 people were killed when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Viareggio, Tuscany.</s>A commuter train derailed Thursday in northern Italy, killing at least three people, seriously injuring 10 and trapping others heading into Milan at the start of the work day, officials said.

The Trenord train derailed at a switch track near the Pioltello Limito station on the outskirts of the city, halting train traffic into and out of Italy's financial capital for hours. A piece of the track appeared broken, and officials said a wheel sustained damage as well, though the cause was under investigation.

At least two main cars from the middle of the train peeled off the rails but were still standing, albeit at an angle. Rescue crews gingerly climbed through the crushed sides of the cars trying to get to trapped passengers.

Prosecutors at the scene said at least three people were killed, 10 were seriously injured and dozens more slightly injured.

The train was heading from Cremona, in eastern Lombardy, into Milan's Garibaldi station and suffered some sort of damage to a wheel about 2.5 kilometres from where the train came to a halt, said Umberto Debruto, who is in charge of the railway network in Italy.

Debruto told Sky TG24 that it wasn't clear "if that was the cause or the result" of the derailment. Images of the track showed a chunk of one rail missing, but it wasn't clear what role it played. He said the train was travelling at the correct speed for that hour, on that stretch of track.

Passengers reported feeling the car shake for a few minutes before hearing a big bang, and then feeling the car crush in on them.

Trenord is the regional train company serving the Lombardy region. It is notorious among passengers for dirty, packed cars and frequent delays. On social media Thursday, it was ridiculed for tweets blaming delays into Milan on a "technical inconvenience" involving a train.

It was the latest incident involving Italy's aging rail system:
• In 2016, 23 people were killed when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in Puglia, southeastern Italy.
• In 2009, 32 people were killed when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Viareggio, in central Italy's Tuscany region.
At least three people are killed and over 100 injured in a train derailment near Milan, Italy.