Two dead as Sydney to Melbourne passenger train derails

The derailed carriages of a passenger train that was travelling from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia

Image caption

The train was reportedly transporting about 160 passengers when it crashed

Two people were killed when a Sydney to Melbourne express train derailed near the Victorian town of Wallan, officials say.

Several other passengers were being treated for injuries, emergency services said.

One person was airlifted to a hospital in Melbourne.

Images showed a number of twisted carriages had left the track, with one on its side. It was unclear what caused the train to derail.

Image caption

At least five carriages were derailed in the accident on Thursday

Paramedics from Ambulance Victoria said that “a large number of people are being assessed but are not believed to be seriously injured”.

They added that four people were being taken to hospital “in a stable condition”.

The train was reportedly carrying about 160 passengers when it left the tracks at 19:50 local time (08:50 GMT) on Thursday, some 45km (28 miles) north of Melbourne, the Victorian state capital.

It is understood to be the main long-distance service between Melbourne and Sydney.

Victoria’s Country Fire Authority (CFA) said that five carriages, along with the train’s engine, had derailed and that helicopters and ambulances were at the scene to assess injuries and transport victims.

All train services that run on the affected line – which connects the stations of Seymour and Shepparton – have been cancelled while an investigation takes place.

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source: bbc.com