Five people have been killed and 16 others injured after a train rammed into a mechanical digger on a railway line in northwest Turkey.

Passengers were trapped in the wreckage of the Ankara to Istanbul express and a massive rescue operation swung into action. There are conflicting accounts as to why the construction vehicle was on the line. It was a careless attempt to cross the tracks, say officials. But other reports claim it was working on a road near the rail line in Bilecik province and accidentally slid down a hillside into the train’s path. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the number of dead and extended his condolences to their relatives. Despite efforts to improve Turkey’s rail network, accidents are not uncommon. In the most deadly incident in recent years, a newly-inaugurated high- speed train derailed in 2004, killing 37 people.More about: Accident, Train crashes, Turkey

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