World

Turkey train crash: At least nine dead in Ankara

07:35 am on 14 December 2018

A crash involving a high-speed train at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara has killed at least nine people and injured 47, Turkey's transport minister has said.

Firefighters and medics try to rescue victims after a high-speed train crashed into a locomotive in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: AFP

Images from the scene showed emergency services working to rescue people from badly damaged carriages.

Reports quoting local officials said the high-speed train had collided with another train, then an overpass.

The accident occurred at about 6:30am Thursday, local time, at the Marsandiz railway station, around eight kilometres from Ankara's main station.

At a news conference, Ankara governor Vasip Sahin said the train was travelling from Ankara to the southern city of Konya when it collided with a locomotive inspecting tracks at the station.

The high speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass. Photo: AFP

Three train drivers were among nine people killed in the crash, according to Turkish Transport Minister Cahit Turhan.

Turkey's state-funded Anadolu Agency reports that 206 passengers were on board the train. Three of the injured are said to be in a serious condition.

A large number of emergency workers arrived at the scene shortly after the collision, which occurred in snowy conditions.

Search and rescue efforts are still under way. The Ankara state prosecutor's office says it has launched an official investigation into the cause of the crash.

- BBC