Italian commuter trains collide, at least 20 dead

A train collision in Italy left 20 people dead.

(Image credit: OHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

published 12 July 2016

Dozens were injured and at least 20 reported dead Tuesday after two high-speed Italian commuter trains collided head-on. The trains were both traveling on a line with a single track through an olive grove in the southern region of Puglia when they crashed around 11:30 a.m. local time, Italian news sources report. "Some of the cars are completely crumpled and the rescuers are extracting people from the metal, many of them injured," the local chief of police said.

The cause of the crash has not been determined, although human error is believed to possibly be a factor, BBC reports. The mayor of nearby Corato said the damage is so extensive that it looks as if a plane had crashed. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi called the tragedy "a moment of tears."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.