Rome (CNN) At least three people were killed and dozens injured Thursday when a train derailed and crashed near the Italian city of Milan, the Italian fire department said.

The train derailed at 7 a.m. (1 a.m. ET) in Pioltello on the northeastern outskirts of Milan as it was traveling from Cremona, southeast of Milan, to the Porta Garibaldi railway station in the city's center.

Rescuers help a woman out of the derailed train Thursday in Pioltello, Italy, outside Milan.

At least eight people remain in critical condition after the crash, the fire department said.

The train's operator, Trenord, said in a tweet that a "technical problem" caused the accident.

"Our thoughts go out to the victims and the families of the victims; we express our closeness to the injured and all the people that were aboard the train," said Trenord CEO Cinzia Farisè, who has visited the scene of the crash.

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