by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A regional train crashed into a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) in Italy's northern Piedmont region on Wednesday night, leaving two people dead and 23 injured.

The accident occurred on the rail line between the cities of Turin and Ivrea at around 11:15 p.m. local time, Italy's railway Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) stated on Thursday.

The train smashed into the lorry, as it was stuck on a level crossing near the town of Caluso after breaking through the barriers, according to railway operator Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).

Three train carriages derailed due to the collision, RFI also said in a statement.

The victims were the train driver, aged 61, and a 64-year-old Romanian man travelling on the back of the lorry, according to Ansa news agency.

The second victim was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Turin, but did not survive.

Some 40 people were on the train when the incident occurred, and 23 were injured. At least three of them were reportedly in serious condition, including the train conductor who underwent a surgery at the Traumatology CTO hospital in Turin, Ansa said.

Prosecutors in Ivrea opened a probe into the accident, and the driver of a security van preceding the lorry, a 43-year-old Lithuanian man, was charged with culpable disaster.

According to Turin-based La Stampa newspaper and other local media, the man proved negative to the alcohol test, and would be listened by investigators on Thursday.

The crash followed other incidents involving Italy's railways.

In January this year, a commuter train derailed in the northern Lombardy region, leaving three people dead and other five seriously injured.

In April 2017, another train crash occurred at the station of Bressanone, some 40 kilometres from the Italian-Austrian border, causing two victims.

In June 2016, two trains collided while traveling on a singles track in southern Italy, killing 23 people. Enditem