Austria: Train emptied in Tyrol tunnel as fire breaks out

Austrian authorities evacuated 151 people from a sleeper train in a tunnel near Fritzens, east of Innsbruck in the Tyrol region in the Alps, on Wednesday evening. 

Police said that a fire broke out on board the night train.

The state of Tyrol had initially said that as many as 370 passengers might be on board the train but later said this was an estimate based on total ticket reservation numbers that turned out to be inaccurate on closer inspection at the scene. 

"According to our current information, there is a total of 33 people with light injuries, who were taken to nearby hospitals for further evaluation," Tyrol's state government said in a press release published soon after midnight Thursday local time. "In total around 700 emergency services were and still are on duty on site." 

Police spokesman Bernd Noggler also told the German dpa news agency that to the best of his knowledge, nobody was believed to have been seriously hurt. 

Sparks from overhead cables thought to have caught cargo

Austrian national rail operator ÖBB said damage to the overhead power wires was reported on Wednesday evening and that an automobile on a cargo car attached to the "Nightjet" train from Innsbruck to Amsterdam apparently caught fire. 

The fire, which was first reported just before 9 p.m., was extinguished soon after 10 p.m., with the train clearance complete by 11 p.m., the company said. 

ÖBB said tents were set up to tend to the rescued passengers and that those who did not need medical attention were taken back to Innsbruck, where officials would organize places for them to sleep if needed. 

msh/sms (AFP, AP, dpa)