30 injured as train carrying dozens of passengers derails in Austria (PHOTOS)

A train derailment in northeast Austria has left three people seriously injured and 27 others with minor injuries.

The commuter train, carrying some 80 people, derailed while approaching the town of Sankt Poelten early on Tuesday morning on Tuesday, local media reported. Two of the train’s three carriages veered off the way in the derailment.

A massive rescue operation started shortly after first reports of the incident emerged. Authorities dispatched three medevac helicopters to airlift the injured to hospital. 70 paramedics and six doctors arrived on the scene to give medical attention to other passengers, Wiener Zeitung reported.

Austria’s local Red Cross branch later said 39 ambulances were involved in the rescue operation, adding 48 people were unhurt in the accident. NOVOG, the local transportation authority, has suspended railway services to and from Sankt Poelten, promising to resume operations shortly.

“We deeply regret the accident and sincerely apologize to all passengers, the injured and their relatives, families and friends,”said Gerhard Stindl, the organization’s CEO. 

The cause of the incident has not been established.

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