Speeding train kills 5 rail workers in Italy

Five rail maintenance workers died late on Wednesday when they were run over by a speeding late-night train outside the station of Brandizzo, a town in northern Italy, reported Xinhua.

Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), the country's rail network operator, confirmed reports of the incident in a statement.

An RFI spokesman told Xinhua the workers were conducting routine maintenance work on the tracks when they were struck by a cargo train reportedly traveling at around 160 km (100 miles) per hour.

The identities of the victims were not revealed, though news reports said the youngest of them was 22 years old.

Local press reported that the train was pulling 12 carriages, but they were not loaded.

Prosecutors from Turin opened a homicide investigation into the accident. It was not immediately clear if the train driver was suspected of wrongdoing.

In a statement, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she learned of the accident "with pain and sadness."

President Sergio Mattarella, who was in the area on a previously scheduled visit, was set to travel to the site of the accident late on Thursday.