Twenty people have been killed and dozens more hurt in a head-on collision involving two passenger trains in southern Italy, officials say.
The two trains were on a single-track line at the time of the crash, between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta.
Emergency services are trying to free passengers from wrecked carriages near the town of Andria.
One of those rescued from the wreckage was a small child, who was airlifted to hospital.
Local authorities have appealed for blood donors to come forward.
It was unclear what led to the collision, which happened in good weather at 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) in the southern region of Apulia.
A local prosecutor in nearby Trani said it was too early to speculate on the cause, although human error was likely to have been a factor.
The number of people that were on the trains was also not immediately available.
Italian reports said one of the trains had come from Andria, and the other from Corato, a short distance to the south-east. Both were travelling at high speed.
Both trains had four carriages and images from the fire service showed wreckage strewn across a large area. Some of the carriages were so badly damaged there was little left but debris.
Corato Mayor Massimo Mazzilli said the damage was so extensive it was as if a plane had crashed.
Rescuers set up a field hospital at the scene to help care for the large number of wounded passengers.
“The situation is dramatic,” Antonio Nunziante, from the local civil defence, told Ansa news agency.
An unnamed man who was one of the first to arrive at the scene said it was “the worst scene of my life”.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi interrupted a trip to Milan after the crash and returned to Rome. He has promised a thorough investigation.
The line, managed by Ferrotramviaria, is used by thousands of people daily on about 200 trains. Work is under way to make it a double-track line.
source: bbcnews.com