MESSINA, Sicily — Italian authorities studied the twisted wreckage of a derailed train Sunday, trying to explain a crash that killed eight and left experts puzzled, according to a wire service.
While the cause was still unclear, advocacy groups and opposition political parties said the rail system in the area was in dreadful condition, and that a crash had been inevitable sooner or later.
“There’s nothing surprising about what happened,” Giustino Trincia of citizens action group Cittadinanzattiva told the ANSA news agency. “For years, it’s been noted that the few rail lines in Italy are in many cases old and inadequate.”
State railway spokesman Marco Mancini strongly denied the accusations, saying maintenance work had been carried out on the line from May until June. The engine was checked earlier this month, he said.
“It is too early to formulate any clear hypothesis on the causes of the disaster,” he said. “Those who do it seem not have respect for the people who lost their lives in the accident.”
Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi, who had traveled to Sicily to oversee planned investigations, was irritated by the criticism. “No one should be allowed to use this tragedy for political speculation,” he said.
Officials blocked off the crash site on the remote stretch of railway in northeastern Sicily where the crash occurred late Saturday, as several different official investigations began.
The train, which had about 190 people on board, jumped off the tracks as it neared Rometta Marea station, 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Messina. The engine plowed into an empty house on the side of the road.
The engine ended up spinning 180 degrees, adding to the confusion — and to one initial and since discounted theory that the crash was a collision between two different trains. The theories flew furiously Saturday night, but by the following day, two seemed most likely.
–Damage to the rails or a subsided embankment made the tracks uneven and caused the derailment.
–The train was going too fast and jumped the tracks.
In addition to the eight dead, 42 were injured, with about a dozen seriously hurt.
Enrico Etna, mayor of the town of Rometta, said people from the area had rushed in to try to save lives as authorities struggled to make it to the remote location.
“I have to thank all the local population of this village and of the surrounding villages,” he said. “Without their help we would certainly have had more casualties.”