A train carrying liquefied gas has exploded at a railway station in the northern Italian town of Viareggio, killing at least 16 people and injuring many more.
The blast occurred after part of the freight train came off the rails on its approach to the station on Monday evening.
The commander of the firefighters said the wagons had flipped over on their sides and gas had spread out among houses nearby before exploding.
Fire engulfed a residential area near the station and two buildings collapsed from the force of the blast.
One resident said he had heard three large explosions and seen a ball of fire rise into the sky. �It looked like war had broken out,� he said.
On Tuesday morning, firefighters said the blaze was being contained, but that there was still a risk that the other gas tanks could explode.
In the meantime, rescue workers are digging through the rubble of the collapsed and burnt homes looking for casualties.
An official inquiry into the causes of the accident has already started. Railway unions are blaming old and obsolete rolling stock.
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