Two commuter trains have collided head-on in rush-hour traffic in the Austrian capital Vienna, leaving five people seriously hurt.

“At the moment there are five people seriously injured and several people with light injuries,” emergency services spokeswoman Claudia Gigler said.

“The seriously injured were taken immediately to hospital,” she added.

Austrian Railways spokeswoman Sarah Nettel said the crash occurred at 8:45am local time in the Penzing district of western Vienna.

A large rescue operation involving around 25 fire engines as well as air ambulances is under way.

It took almost two hours to evacuate both trains, which had been travelling along the same track when the collision occurred.

Many of the injured had to be extracted from the wreckage of the crash using special cranes.

“Of course we will investigate the causes for the collision but at the moment our priority is with the passengers,” Austrian Railways spokeswoman Sarah Nettel said.

Last September a train derailed in the same area, without causing any injuries.

An enquiry blamed human error for the incident after a rail worker switched a point the wrong way.