5 workmen are killed when train slams into a group of workers on the tracks at an Italian station
A tragic incident unfolded in northern Italy when an out-of-service train, moving at a high speed, collided with a group of workers engaged in nighttime track maintenance.
The devastating crash occurred during the early hours of the day at a station located in Brandizzo, a town nestled in the beautiful Piedmont region of Italy.
The impact of the collision was severe, resulting in the unfortunate loss of five workers’ lives. The immediate cause of this heart-wrenching accident is presently being investigated by authorities, with the aim of shedding light on what transpired.
Alberto Cirio, the Governor of Piedmont, provided information about the grim death toll and highlighted that the incident’s circumstances were undergoing thorough examination. Paolo Bodoni, the Mayor of Brandizzo, shared that initial indications suggest that the train’s crew might not have been aware that there were workers laboring on the tracks. Reports from sources like La Stampa, a prominent newspaper in Turin, mentioned this possibility.
At the outset, it was reported by state radio that the train was racing along at a speed of around 160 kilometers per hour (approximately 100 mph). However, a preliminary inquiry conducted by railway police subsequently revised this estimate downward to roughly 100 kilometers per hour (about 62 mph), as detailed by the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
The train composition included an engine car and 11 unoccupied passenger cars that it was transporting at the time of the tragic incident, according to Corriere della Sera.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini pointed out that human error appeared to be a contributing factor in this sorrowful event. He expressed, “For sure there was a human error.” Mayor Bodoni echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of investigating the communication breakdown between the work team and those responsible for signaling the train’s passage. He remarked, “The first information reaching me refers to a scarcity of communication between the (work) team and who should have signaled the passage of the train, but we need to see what really happened.”
Miraculously, two workers managed to avoid the impact and were taken to a hospital for treatment due to the shock of the incident, as reported by La Stampa.
In response to this tragedy, several unions representing train maintenance workers announced their intention to stage a strike. This protest action is both a form of protest against the accident and a tribute to the memory of the victims, as indicated by Italian media reports.
Even Pope Francis addressed the incident when questioned by Italian reporters during his journey to Mongolia. He decried workplace fatalities as a “calamity and an injustice,” attributing these unfortunate events to a lack of care. The Pope compassionately noted, “Such deaths always occur because of a lack of care. Workers are sacred.”
In this heartrending incident that took place in the picturesque region of Piedmont, Italy, a speeding out-of-service train tragically collided with a group of workers engaged in nighttime track maintenance. The loss of life is a somber reminder of the importance of safety and effective communication in such settings. An investigation is underway to uncover the exact sequence of events, and as the community mourns the lives lost, there’s a collective call for better safeguards and vigilance to prevent such tragedies in the future.
By: M Z Hossain, Editor Sky Buzz Feed
