At least 10 people were killed and 50 others were injured when a train derailed and two cars filled with gas tanks exploded in northern Italy on Tuesday, news reports said.

Flames engulf the area where a freight train derailed and two cars filled with gas exploded just outside a station of Viareggio, in northern Italy, early Tuesday, June 30, 2009. [Xinhua]

The firefighters coordination center in Rome said 37 people were seriously injured.

The blast occurred in the town of Viareggio early in the morning when a train bound to Pisa carrying gas-filled tank cars was moving close to the station of the coastal city, the ANSA news agency reported.

Two buildings close to the railway station were badly damaged, and nearby areas were evacuated in case of more blasts.

Reports said firefighters found one child still alive at the scene.

The cause of the accident was still under investigation.  

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2009)