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Over 170 People Feared Dead in Austrian Train Blaze
Over 170 people may have died Saturday when a train they were traveling in caught fire in a tunnel in the Austrian Alps, state television reported.
Eight passengers had managed to escape from the blaze, which is believed to have started around 9 a.m. (0800 GMT) at the back of the train. The fire was still burning four hours after it broke out.
The train was at the time about 600 meters into the tunnel in the Kitzsteinhorn mountain near Kaprun, southwest of Salzburg state.
The exact number of passengers aboard the train is not yet available. But the train, with a capacity of 180, is believed to be full, since the weather condition would have attracted many people go skiing in the Alps.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. All materials used in the train are supposed to be fire-resistant.
Thirteen helicopters arrived at the scene to evacuate victims to nearby hospitals. Police have sealed off roads in the area to ease the movement of rescue vehicles.
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