Two freight trains collided near a village station south of Vienna today, leaving at least seven people dead and dozens injured, some critically.
Some victims remained trapped by twisted metal. A television reporter on the scene said only the driver of one of the trains - one of the two or three people pinned in the wreckage - was still believed alive.
Railway officials said about 25 people were believed hurt, including 14 severely and four critically. All four were in comas.
The mid-afternoon accident occurred about 80 yards from the station in Wampersdorf, 22 miles from the Austrian capital.
The Austrian Automobile Club sent four of its emergency helicopters were on the scene, along with close to 200 police, fire department and other rescue workers. Regional hospitals were placed on alert.
Rescue efforts were being hampered because jaws of life and other equipment available was meant to extricate car accident victims and was not strong enough to deal with the thicker metal at the site of the accident.
AP