Speeding train kills 5 railway track maintenance workers near Turin in north Italy

A train hit and killed five Italian railway workers near Turin, the state railway Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) said on Thursday (August 31). The nation woke up with the news, expressing shock and outrage over the incident.

Local reports have mentioned that the workers were replacing some track outside the station of Brandizzo, on the line connecting Milan and Turin, when they were run over by a train transporting wagons. The train was reportedly travelling at 160 kilometres per hour when it struck the maintenance workers.

RFI, the company that manages Italy's rail network, expressed "great sorrow" and offered its condolences and closeness to the families of the dead workers.

The company also confirmed that the maintenance workers employed by an external contractor lost their lives after a train "not in commercial service" hit them. It also added that investigations were underway into the incident.

According to the fire service, "five workers were killed by a passing train" and two others were injured. Local reports have also suggested that those who escaped, including the foreman, were physically unharmed but under observation.

Italian news agencies reported that the train driver, one of two people in the engine cab, was unharmed but in shock, as it emerged that the dead men were said to have been dragged for several metres.

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'Terrible tragedy'

Paolo Bodoni, who is the mayor of Brandizzo, said an emergency worker had described to him a "chilling scene, with human remains across 300 metres".

He told the AGI news agency that "it's a huge tragedy" and it "cannot be excluded that there could have been a communication error". Bodoni said that it would be a matter for investigation.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deepest condolences" to the families of those who had died. She also said that she was closely following the case, "with the hope of shedding light on what happened as soon as possible".

Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League party and the deputy premier and transport minister, called it a "terrible tragedy".

He said, "The rule is that works on the tracks can begin when it is confirmed that there are no trains on the line."

(With inputs from agencies)

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