Australian passenger train derails after hitting abandoned vehicle

SYDNEY: An early morning commuter train partly derailed after hitting a van abandoned on tracks near Sydney on Wednesday, trapping the driver and leaving others with minor injuries, authorities said.

The four-car train hit the vehicle in Wollongong, about 90 km (56 miles) south of Sydney at 4.15 a.m. local time, knocking the front carriage onto its side and tilting the second carriage, emergency services said.

The train driver was released by firefighters and taken to hospital along with a guard and two of the train's nine passengers.