Italian train derails in mudslide

An overnight express train from Rome derailed this morning when it slammed into a mudslide in the southern region of Calabria during a rain storm.

RAI state TV, reporting from the accident site near the coastal area of Scilla, said five passengers were treated for minor injuries.

The train, bound for Reggio Calabria, a city on the tip of the ‘‘toe’’ of the peninsula, was just about to enter a tunnel when it struck the mud, which covered the tracks and which was about thigh-high.

The mudslide also blocked part of the autostrada motorway between Salerno and Reggio Calabria. Northbound traffic on the motorway was closed.