An empty passenger train hit railway workers at high speed close to a station in Italy, killing five people.
Authorities revealed that the workers, aged between 22 and 52, were replacing part of a track outside the northern city of Turin when they were killed.
They had been working on the line between Turin and Milan when the train went through Brandizzo station at a reported 160km/h (100mph).
Mayor Paolo Bodoni stated that an investigation was underway.
Meanwhile, two workers survived unscathed but were taken to hospital for observation.
The reports said the train driver was treated at the scene for shock but later sent home.
He is expected to be questioned later about the deadly incident.
On its part, the Italian railway network (RFI) expressed its “deep sorrow” for the incident. It also sent its “deep condolences” to the families of those who died.
Bodoni described the incident as “chilling” and a “huge tragedy”.
“It cannot be excluded that there could have been a communication error,” he said adding that an investigation was underway.
The mayor of Brandizzo, a small town to the north-east of Turin, said he would wait until the outcome of the inquiry but a communication error could not be ruled out.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was in regular contact with the regional governor “in the hope of shedding the full light on the incident as soon as possible”.
The leader of CISL called the accident “an outrage to all Italian workers”.
Luigi Sbarra wrote on social media: “It leaves us dismayed. Five workers are dead, and five families – to whom we send our condolences – have been destroyed by the lack of safety measures.”
A cousin of the youngest victim told La Repubblica: “I’m angry. I don’t know who was wrong but five people run over is not an accident. It is clear that some mistake was made.”
