On 29 June 2009, shortly before midnight, a train transporting LPG from the oil refinery of Trecate, near Milan, to a LPG storage depot located in Gricignano, near Naples derailed while crossing Viareggio station and five of fourteen rail tankers overturned. Approximately 45 tonnes of LPG was released and the gas cloud spread to the neighbouring residential area before igniting. Thirty-one people died as a result of the accident and the damage caused ran into tens of millions of euros. The accident was the worst railway accident in Italy related to the transportation of dangerous substances, and the most serious accident in Italy involving LPG.

The management faults identified as possible factors in the Viareggio accident point to the need for more emphasis on risk assessment procedures in the rail transport of dangerous substances.

Ref: IChemE Loss Prevention Bulletin, Issue 231, page 4
Image Credit: RTBF