Melbourne Train Crash 11 Dead

Melbourne, Australia - a brutal train crash has left 10 Australians dead and 1 New Zealander dead.

Melbourne train crash pictures (left)

Police Constable Wayne Wilson said Disaster and Victim Identification staff finished removing the body parts of the victims from the train wreckage today.

The V/Line electric train on route from Swan Hill to Melbourne collided with a large semi-trailer at a level crossing near the Murray Valley Highway, 6 kilometres to the north of the Kerang.

Relatives of the dead and from the families of a 13-year-old boy and an older woman, both from suburb Swan Hill, who died in the crash, made an teary and emotional pilgrimage to the crash site accompanied by several emergency workers and grief counsellors.

Cordoned off sections from the media; the families were allowed to grieve in their own time and in peace.
Some of them sat alone, with their horror thoughts on a grass verge near the mangled carriages while others quietly stood with their heads dipped as they wiped tears from their face.

Police Inspector Mick Talbot said police had a good idea for closure and for people to see what actually happened here.

All the names of the train victims have not been released.

"There was a person who sadly died in a Melbourne hospital and 10 of the bodies were recovered at the train wreck site," Police Constable Wilson said.

A 32-year-old New Zealand man from Wellington is among those who died.

Victorian coroner Iain West says the bodies will be transported to Melbourne for examination.

The death toll was revised up to 11 after Disaster Victim Identification Squad members finished removing the remains of victims from the wreckage today, Senior Constable Wilson said.

Temporary morgue set up

A temporary morgue was set up at the scene of the crash.

There were about eight bodies in the second carriage, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

Two people are still unaccounted for and it's not known whether they boarded the train or are among the victims.

Police say 23 people remain in a critical or serious condition.

Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu and Nationals leader Peter Ryan visited the scene today, expressing their condolences to family members of the crash victims and praising emergency services for their work.

Both leaders said it was too soon to discuss the circumstances of the accident or attribute blame.

"This is a tragedy. [There are] a lot of traumatised people and clearly there's still a lot of work to do," Mr Baillieu said.

"Today's not the time to make any other comments other than to say our prayers are with everybody affected."

Survivor tells of horror

A survivor of the train crash told today of the horror on board.

A passenger identified as Lenley Fraser said she heard a "big bang'', and her carriage filled with dust and debris.

"I saw the lady sitting across from me had facial wounds and another lady was thrown to the floor with blood coming out of her mouth and eye," Ms Fraser told the Nine Network.

She praised the staff on the train for their help after the crash.

"The staff were really excellent,'' she said.

"They were saying to help one another because we can't help you all."

Police ask for patience

Victorian police are asking for patience as they search the train wreckage at Kerang for any more bodies before looking into the cause of the crash.

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