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ROME: The death toll from this week's rail disaster in northern Italy climbed to 18 after a victim who suffered serious burn injuries died in hospital, officials said.
The latest victim, a man of Moroccan origin, died overnight while in hospital in Carrare, close to the town of Viareggio, where a train ferrying liquid petroleum gas exploded into a giant fireball after derailing on Monday.
The force of the blast brought down two small blocks of flats, where many of the victims lived. Others were simply passers-by caught up in the explosion.
Another 24 people are still seriously injured, according to the official toll.
Fire crews had been working round the clock to clear the remaining 13 wagons of their volatile cargo, but said on Thursday they had finished their operation, and rail authorities now hope normal service will resume in the next 24 hours.
- AFP/so
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