Lightning KOs Ventimiglia station control room

Lightning on Thursday knocked out the rail station control room at Ventimigia on the Italian-French border as some 40,000 lightning bolts were reported since early morning across Liguria and 20,000 in Genoa alone as a wave of storms hit northern Italy breaking a long and brutal heatwave. At the border town, a loud bang was followed by a blackout of the control and safety systems. Lightning, after striking a pole, reportedly caused a sudden discharge inside the Ventimiglia train station, causing the control room to go haywire and causing train traffic to go out of control. The station is in a state of lockdown: no trains are departing or arriving. The control and safety systems have been knocked out, and technicians are working to restore the situation. An initial intervention only allowed