VIAREGGIO (Italy) - TWO gas-filled rail tankers exploded after derailing in northern Italy engulfing homes in flames which killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more, firefighters said Tuesday.
MR GIUSEPPE Romano, the fire chief for the city of Florence, stressed that work of this kind was very difficult because of the fluid nature of the liquid gas.
Liquefied petroleum gas is a mixture of propane and butane that is used for cooking or as fuel for specially adapted cars. -- AFP
The blast, which happened in the seaside resort of Viareggio, seriously wounded 36 people, of whom 15 were in a critical condition, said the prefect of the region, Mr Carmelo Aronica.
Hundreds of firefighters from across the region were rushed to the area to help with the rescue operation and ensure remaining tankers do not catch fire.
A thousand people have been evacuated from the area because of the danger of more explosions, said Mr Luca Lunardini, mayor of the city of 50,000 people.
Many of the victims had suffered extensive burns, said the firefighters' coordination centre in Rome.
The explosion happened just before midnight on Tuesday when a wagon in a 14-carriage train transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) came off the rails in the coastal town, which is just north-west of Pisa.
'The cars flipped over on their sides on the rails and the gas spread out among the nearest houses before exploding,' said Mr Antonio Gambardella, commander of the firefighters at the scene.
Dozens of small homes along the railway line were caught in the blast. Two small buildings were completely engulfed in the flames and destroyed, witnesses said. One of the buildings was thought to house 18 people.
Some of them were known to have survived, Mr Gambardella told AFP, 'but we fear there could be several more people under the rubble'. He said an eight-year-old boy had been pulled out alive in the early hours of Tuesday.
Mr Gambardella said more than 300 firefighters from neighbouring regions had been mobilised.
'One of the tasks of the firefighters and notably the specialised chemical accident units is to try to make sure the rest of the tankers don't catch fire and explode,' he added. -- AFP
