Two people were killed on Thursday as a train ran over an ambulance in northern Italy, local media said.

The accident took place when a regional train ploughed into an ambulance as it crossed the tracks at a level crossing close to the town of Pontida, near the city of Bergamo.

An 79-year-old man and his 49-year-old son who were traveling by ambulance to a retirement home were killed, while the ambulance's driver was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

According to Bergamo-based L'Eco di Bergamo newspaper, the railroad crossing did not lower its safety bars at the time of the accident, perhaps due to a technical problem.

First investigations said that none of the 20 passengers aboard the train was seriously injured, while the train line was blocked.