Crash occurred at level crossing in Cosenza area.

Two people were killed when a train collided with a truck at a level crossing on a railway line in the Cosenza province in Italy's southern Calabria region on Tuesday evening.

The train conductor, a 61-year-old Italian woman, and the truck driver, a 24-year-old Moroccan man, were killed in the collision which occurred on the Ferrovia Jonica line that runs between Taranto and Reggio Calabria.

It is believed that the truck became trapped on the tracks after crossing the railway line at a level crossing when the barrier was lowering, becoming trapped on the tracks.

The train, travelling at a speed of around 130 km per hour, hit the truck head-on a few seconds later, with both vehicles bursting into flames.

The 10 passengers on board the Sibari-Catanzaro Lido regional train were unharmed in the incident which occurred near Thurio in the Corigliano-Rossano area.

Sono terribili le immagini che arrivano dalla Calabria, sulla linea Sibari - Catanzaro Lido, dove un treno ha impattato un camion che occupava il passaggio a livello. Stiamo monitorando costantemente la situazione.
Il mio cordoglio per il capotreno e l’autista del veicolo,… pic.twitter.com/QE3GiyXC6h— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) November 28, 2023

In a statement, Trenitalia and railway infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana said that based on initial findings the level crossing "appears to be functioning properly".

An investigation into the dymanics of the incident is being carried out by railway police and Carabinieri, news agency ANSA reports.

Expressing his condolences for the victims of the crash, Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini wrote on X: "Modernising and making safe the railways throughout Italy with billions of euros of investments is an absolute priority that we are pursuing with the utmost commitment."

Photo ANSA