Two dead as high-speed train derails in northern Italy

A tragic incident occurred on Thursday morning in Italy's Lodi province as two people were killed after a high-speed train derailed. 

The accident which also left 28 people injured occurred in the town of Casalpusterlengo, some 30 miles southeast of Milan. 

All services on the Milan-Bologna high-speed route have been suspended and diverted via conventional lines, as emergency teams and firefighters are at the scene of the accident to assess the damage. 

The railway company said the engine left the tracks some 40km (25 miles) from Milan at around 05:30 local time. It struck the freight wagon on a parallel track before running into a building and was separated from the rest of the train. Both it and the first carriage turned on their sides.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella who confirmed the death of two train conductors named Giuseppe Cicciu and Mario Di Cuonzo, tweeted his condolences to their families.

He wrote; 

"Let light be quickly shed on this grave accident, in order to guarantee the right of citizens to transport safety."

A survivor told local newspaper Liberta; 

"I thought I was dead. I closed my eyes and prayed.

"The train was going very fast... suddenly, I felt a violent blow. A really loud roar."

The cause of the accident is currently being investigated.