(CNN) — A high-speed train has crashed near the Turkish capital Ankara, killing at least nine people and leaving dozens more injured, according to the city’s governor Vasip Sahin.
Holding a press conference at the site of the crash, Sahin said 46 people had been injured in the crash, which took place at around 6.30 a.m. Thursday local time.
Three of those were severely injured, according to the governor’s office.
“Our hope is the number of dead does not increase, but our units are working. Once their work is complete, we will be able to share more information,” Sahin said.
The train collided head-on with a maintenance vehicle in Ankara’s Marsandiz station, causing part of a bridge to collapse onto two carriages, state news agency Anadolu said.
Video from the scene of the crash showed rescuers coming through piles of warped metal while injured people are seen being evacuated from the wreckage.
According to the agency, 206 passengers were on the train at the time of the crash. Three of the dead were train conductors, while the other six were passengers.
CNN Turk said the crash took place just four minutes after the train left the station.
One witness told CNN he was on his way home from work when he saw the crash. “There were many injured people waiting to be rescued,” Yasin Duvar said, adding he had helped a number of victims escape from the mangled train.
The train was en route between the capital and Konya when it crashed, the news agency said.
The US Embassy in Antara expressed its “deepest condolences” to the victims of the crash on Thursday. “We share the great sorrow and wish quick recovery to the many injured,” the embassy’s official Twitter account said.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information is available.
