'Horrific' train crash in Italy leaves at least 25 dead

The death toll from yesterday's head-on collision between two passenger trains in Italy has now risen to 25.

The two trains collided while travelling on a single-track line between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta, in the southern region of Puglia.

Railway police commander Giancarlo Conticchio told local media at least 43 people were injured, although that figure could change as officials were unclear how many passengers were on board.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Surely one of the two trains shouldn't have been there," he said. "And surely there was an error. We need to determine the cause of the error."

An aerial image showed the two trains crumpled by the collision, with some of the carriages completely destroyed.

One survivor dug her way out from the metal pieces and saved her husband. "I went barefoot under the wreckage. I dug my way out under the metal pieces and was able to save my husband. I saw people in pieces," she added.

A police officer told Italy's Rai News it was a "horrific scene, unbelievable... The worst scene of my life".

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi cut short a trip to Milan to visit the scene.

"I want to express my condolences to the families and I have ordered, with no holding back, an inquiry to find who is responsible," he said. "I think we must have absolute clarity on this. We will not stop until we understand what happened."