ROME (AFP) -- Two people were killed and about 50 were seriously injured when two metro trains collided in central Rome during the morning rush hour Tuesday, the ANSA news agency said.

Mayor Walter Veltroni, speaking at the scene of the accident near Rome's central train station, said a 30-year-old woman was killed. ANSA said she was Nigerian, and that the other fatality was a man, without elaborating.

The accident occurred at Victor Emmanuele II station when one train rear-ended another that was stopped at the station.

The president of Rome province, Piero Marrazzo, said between 10 and 20 of the most seriously injured had been rushed to hospital.

Several dozen people with minor injuries were seated around the entrance to the station awaiting treatment, while many women were in shock and weeping, an AFP correspondent at the scene said. "I was in the metro train that was stopped at the station when I saw the other train run into us. I was horribly frightened," a passenger who gave his name only as Alberto told AFP. "I thought the train would crash on top of us."

Security services sealed off the area, and police manned the station's four entrances.

Some 15 ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident, which wreaked havoc on Rome traffic.

The all-news television station Sky TG24 showed images of victims being carried out on stretchers while other passengers emerged looking dazed.

Early reports said passengers were still stuck in some of the cars.

The press office of the metro operator Atac said a helicopter was overflying the scene of the accident.