A serious railway accident occurred in Italy on the Turin-Milan train line. A high-speed train has hit railway maintenance workers, dragging them for hundreds of meters. As a result, 5 workers lost their lives on the railway track, the youngest being 22 years old.
The accident happened at midnight between Chivasso and Brandizzo in an area where the employees of the contractor who maintains the railway were working while the train managed to brake 1 km from the place where it hit the workers.
The train was heading towards Turin at a speed of 160 km/h, it was empty and was carrying wagons to another station. The dynamics of the event and the investigation are being examined by the competent authorities and by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. The workers were all employees of an external company, Sigifer e Borgo Vercelli. There were numerous police, carabinieri and Polfer patrols at the scene, as well as various firefighting teams.
The victims are still unidentified while the dynamics of the accident are being investigated. Rail traffic is currently suspended while many train journeys have been cancelled.