Australian passenger train derails after hitting abandoned vehicle

Australian early morning commuter train partly derailed after hitting an abandoned vehicle parked on the track, trapping and leaving others with minor injuries on Wednesday, authorities said.

According to the emergency service, the four-car train hit the vehicle in Wollongong, about 90 km (56 miles) south of Sydney, knocking the front carriage onto its side and tilting the second carriage.

The train driver was released by firefighters and taken to hospital along with a guard and two of the train’s nine passengers.

Police set up a crime scene after a person was reported running away from the scene. It was not known how long the van had been parked on the tracks.

NSW Police Superintendent, Craig Ireland, “I was speaking to some of the railway workers on site and when they see a train in that position, they immediately expect fatalities, so I think it is very fortunate no-one was hurt.”

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Kamila/Reuters