Updated | 20 people killed and dozens injured in Bari train crash

At least twenty people have been killed and dozens more have been injured in a head-on collision involving two passenger trains in Bari in the south of Italy according to reports.

The BBC reports that the two trains were on a single-track line between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta at the time of the crash (around 11.30 today). Both trains were made up of four carriages and the crash has been compared to a plane crash.

Emergency services are trying to free passengers, with reports claiming a small boy has been rescued from the wrecked carriages near the town of Corato and local authorities have warned that the number of dead could rise.

No reason for the crash has been given so far. The stretch of track is operated by regional rail company Ferrotramviaria, and it was not clear how many people were on the trains.