16 KILLED BY TRAIN GAS BLAST; Carnage as freight cars crash into houses.

Byline: Amy Devine

AT least 16 people were killed when a freight train derailed and ploughed into houses, sparking a gas-fuelled fireball.

The train, carrying liquefied natural gas, struck homes in Viareggio, Tuscany, as many of the victims slept.

Rescue officials said at least 50 people were hurt in the disaster.

The 14-car train was travelling from the northern city of La Spezia to Pisa when a rear car derailed and crashed into houses in the seaside town just before midnight on Monday.

A tanker filled with gas exploded, demolishing five buildings and setting fire to a large area.

As 300 rescuers and firefighters battled through the rubble for survivors, officials at the hospital in Viareggio said the death toll stood at 16, with many of the injured suffering severe burns.

Witness Gianfranco Bini, who lives in a building overlooking the railway station, said: "We saw a ball of fire rising up to the sky. We heard three big rumbles, like bombs. It looked like war had broken out."

His son, Gianni, said he saw a truck driver running away, on fire. He said:"His truck was passing by when it was hit by the heatwave and I saw the driver ablaze, getting off and walking away."

TV images showed residents, their bodies blackened by the smoke, being carried away on stretchers.

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, who had been in Naples for a meeting, arrived in Viareggio yesterday afternoon.

CAPTION(S):

INFERNO: A firefighter at the scene. Left, a wrecked car is sprayed with water. Below, the aftermath