Forty Injured as Trains Collide in Switzerland

Two trains collided head-on Monday in western Switzerland, injuring 40 passengers, at least five of them seriously, police said.

The collision occurred in Granges-pres-Marnand around 7:00 pm (1700 GMT), police said.

They said the fire department and ambulances were on the scene and that a helicopter was also dispatched.

The news portal 20minutes.ch said many of the injured were being treated at the scene.

One train was bound for Lausanne, some 38 kilometers (24 miles) to the south, while the other was travelling north from the same city.

Traffic was interrupted on part of the line which links the cities of Palezieux and Payerne, the Swiss federal railway company said.