ROME, July 21: Eight people were killed and 47 injured when a Venice-bound train veered off the rails in Sicily, a police spokesman said Sunday.
Officials said at least 12 were hospitalized in a serious condition.
Italian authorities ordered an inquiry into the cause of disaster. The train had left the Sicilian capital Palermo and was approaching the northeastern town of Messina just before 7:00 pm on Saturday when it jumped the tracks.
The train was to have crossed the Messina strait on a ferry and was due to reach Venice on Sunday morning.—AFP