Firefighters work at the scene. Some of the workers killed had been picking clementine oranges in the region, officials say.
Firefighters work at the scene. Some of the workers killed had been picking clementine oranges in the region, officials say.
MARIO TOSTIAFP/Getty Images

Story highlights

The train hit a Fiat Multipla near Rossano, the official ANSA news agency reports

Six people -- believed to be migrant workers -- in the Fiat were killed, the report adds

The train dragged the vehicle about 600 meters before coming to a stop

CNN  — 

Six people died after a train slammed into a vehicle early Saturday evening in southern Italy, the nation’s official news agency reported, citing investigative and other sources.

Photos taken in Rossano showed the Fiat Multipla impaled against the front of the train – mangled and largely unrecognizable – as firefighters walked along the track.

A rescuer described the scene as “appalling,” according to the official ANSA news agency.

The crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. ET) near Rossano, which is about 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Naples and 280 kilometers northeast of Reggio Calabria.

The Fiat was struck and dragged 600 meters before it and the train finally came to a stop, ANSA reported.

All those killed had been inside the vehicle, with ANSA citing reports that at least some of them were Romanian migrant workers who had been picking clementine oranges in the region.

The area near the crash scene has been cordoned off, as the investigation continues to determine what happened.

CNN’s Helena DeMoura contributed to this report.