Toll in Italy gas explosion rises to 20

ROME - The toll in the gas explosion at a railroad station in northern Italy rose to 20 after two people injured in the accident died at a hospital, a health spokesman said Friday.

The powerful explosion occurred late Monday in the town of Viareggio when a 14-carriage freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) derailed and two carriages exploded, creating a fireball that engulfed nearby houses, destroying at least two.

At least 50 people were injured, and around 20 were in hospitals in critical condition.

Cleanup operations around the station finished Thursday and emergencies officials began allowing some of the hundreds of evacuated residents back to their houses.

–RIA Novosti