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Coimbra train crash: Two dead after train derails in Portugal

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EPA

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The train derailed near the town of Soure in Coimbra

A high-speed train has derailed in the Portuguese district of Coimbra, killing two and injuring at least 30 others.

The train was travelling north from Lisbon to Braga, with scheduled stops in the cities of Coimbra and Porto.

However, at about 15:30 (14:30GMT) it crashed into a railway maintenance machine in the town of Soure.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that he offered “his condolences to the families and friends of those killed” in this “serious accident”.

The country’s national relief operations authority CNOS told Reuters news agency that emergency services were at the scene.

A spokesman said there were 163 rescue personnel, including firefighters, and two medical helicopters.

There were 240 passengers on board the Alfa Pendular train, which is the fastest in Portugal, they said.

More emergency services were said to be on the way. A field hospital is also being set up nearby.

According to local media, several people remain trapped on the train.

A witness told Portuguese newspaper Diário de Noticias that there was panic inside the train at the time of the crash, and passengers shouted: “Everyone get on the ground!”

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