tagged w/ Viareggio
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The government has made amazing promises after the tragedies of Abruzzo and Viareggio. Two very different events. The first an earthquake that has caused 308 deaths and about 65,000 displaced persons. The second a rail disaster that killed 28 people, many of them seriously wounded who died as a result of injuries. For the living concern is needed, for the dead only the truth, wrote the French philosopher Voltaire.The government has made amazing promises after the tragedies of Abruzzo and Viareggio.... more
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A freight train has derailed in Viareggio, caused the explosion of a cargo of LPG, the collapse of 5 buildings near the station and a number of deaths still uncertain, at least 17, with 15 seriously injured. Trade unions talk about the tragedy as announced, and indeed are years now that they protest with Trenitalia for a host of reasons, from the steady decline in the personnel to the use of old trains and materials.A freight train has derailed in Viareggio, caused the explosion of a cargo of LPG, the... more
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A freight train derailed in the middle of a small Italian town and two cars filled with liquefied natural gas exploded, setting off an inferno that killed at least 13 people and injured more than 30, officials said Tuesday.
The cars plowed into several homes just outside the train station in the Tuscan seaside town of Viareggio, and the resulting explosion collapsed a building and set fire to a vast area.
Five people were killed when their house collapsed, while a sixth victim was riding a scooter along the rail line when the train derailed, said Raffaele Gargiulo, a police spokesman in the nearby city of Lucca, which is in charge of the smaller town of Viareggio.
Gargiulo told The Associated Press by telephone that more than 30 people were injured, with most suffering severe burns.
Videos uploaded on YouTube showed a huge plume of fire and smoke towering above Viareggio's low buildings. Images from the scene showed an inferno raging in the night, consuming buildings and cars, while the sound of sirens and explosions pierced the air.
The train coming from the northern city of La Spezia and heading for Pisa derailed just before midnight Monday shortly after passing through Viareggio's train station, Gargiulo said.
The train's two engineers were only lightly injured and were questioned in the hospital, saying they felt an impact some 600 feet outside the station, shortly before the train flew off the tracks.
Gargiulo said the incident may have been caused by damage to the tracks or a problem with the train's braking system.
Firefighters chief Antonio Gambardella told Italy's RAI state TV that the blaze was being contained but there was still the risk that other train cars containing gas would explode.
Firefighters were battling flames while digging through the rubble of collapsed or burnt homes looking for casualties, Gambardella said, adding that there could be more victims...A freight train derailed in the middle of a small Italian town and two cars filled... more
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