Five Die in Italian Riviera Train-Gas Blast

(CNN) -- A gas explosion from a cargo train carrying fuel tanks killed at least five people and injured 35 others Monday night in a town in western Italy, a local government official said.

The train, traveling from La Spezia to Pisa, was carrying gas tanks and derailed while passing through the station in the coastal town of Viareggio, the official, Antonio Garufi, told CNN. The station and a few nearby buildings caught fire and were evacuated, he said.

The five fatalities were victims of a resulting building fire, Garufi said. The train operators were not injured.

The explosion happened at about 11:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. ET).