Two dead and 18 injured in Italy train crash

Two people have diedand 18 have been injured after a train hit a truck stopped on the tracks nearthe northern Italian city of Turin, officials have said.

One of those killed was an engineer of the train, whichploughed into the truck near the town of Caluso at 11.20pm local time, theItalian news agency ANSA reported.

The train had been travelling from Turin to the town ofIvrea.

One of two critically injured people later died in hospitalafter being taken away from the crash site by helicopter.

According to ambulance officials, a total of 18 people wereinjured following the impact, most of them not critically.

The rig truck driver escaped without injury, according toANSA, which said the vehicle carried Lithuanian licence plates and was on itsway to a nearby warehouse.

The railway barrier had been lowered properly before thetrain approached, according to the railway operator RFI. It said for unknown reasonsthe truck had smashed through the barrier and ended up on the tracks.

Three carriages were derailed as a result of the impact.

ANSA spoke to a young woman who broke her leg in the crashand quoted her as saying she felt as if she was being pushed from behind beforefalling.

She said she thought she was going to die and described thescene as "terrible".

Rescue workers are continuing to look through the wreckagefor any trapped passengers.