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Several passengers have been injured in Australia after a train collided with a truck trailer, piercing the side of the carriage and sending people up into the air.
The crash happened at 10.10am on Tuesday while the truck was towing an excavator in Kilmany, Victoria, but ended up colliding with a train carrying up to 50 people, Victoria Police said.
It is unclear what caused the truck to collide with the train, but police said an investigation is underway.
Philipa Hamilton told ABC News that she was sitting at the front of the train when the truck’s trailer pierced the side of the carriage, dislodged her seat and threw her a metre into the air.
“I was sitting in my seat having a coffee and saw a trailer go in front of the train and thought ‘s***’, something’s going to happen,” Ms Hamilton said.
“The next minute it punched through the wall beside me, the seat was broken and I was thrown up in the air and all I ended up with was a sore arm.”
She added that a group of women also sitting in the same area also sustained injuries to their hips, legs and heads.
Anne Larkin, another passenger who was en route to New South Wales, told the national broadcaster that “it could have been so much worse”.
“After the actual impact, I saw something go flying past the window which I assume was the actual trailer flying through the air and when I’ve seen the size of it, all I can say is we’re very lucky,” she said.
Passengers said that staff announced over the microphone that they would be coming to check on all of them just after the crash occurred.
Up to 50 passengers were evacuated off the train and stood outside for paramedics to assess them, but no one was required to go to hospital.
Buses took them onwards to Sale and Bairnsdale.
Police added that the train driver and the truck driver were able to escape uninjured or with minor injuries, despite images from the scene showing the front windscreen of the train being completely shattered.
A V/Line spokesperson told ABC that the National Rail Safety Regulator and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified about the accident.
“We thank passengers for their patience while we work to get them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible following an incident at a crossing near Kilmany,” the spokesperson said.
“Safety is our priority and we will work with the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.”
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
