ROME, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A high-speed train derailed in northern Italy near Milan in the early hours of Thursday, leaving two railway employees dead and traffic interrupted on the busy line between Milan and Bologna.

State police said the train, which left Milan Central Station at 5:10 a.m. (0410 GMT) for Salerno, south of Naples, derailed near Lodi, about 100 km southeast of Milan.

Two railway employees, who according to local authorities were the train's drivers, were killed and a member of the train's cleaning staff was seriously injured, suffering multiple fractures.

Some of the other 28 crew members and passengers on board were also injured, police said, but none of them seriously.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation. Police have said the train's engine derailed first, crashing into a building and killing the two railway employees, while the rest of the train continued until the lead car also fell off the tracks.

The railway line between Milan and Bologna was immediately closed due to the accident, with no indication when regular service will resume, according to state railway operator Trenitalia.

Delays of an hour or more are expected for high-speed trains departing from Milan to the south or arriving from the south, as traffic is diverted to the slower Milan-Piacenza line. Enditem

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