According to rescue workers, at least six people were killed in a collision between an express train and a bus in Slovakia. At least five others were injured, the Slovakian rescue service announced on the online network Facebook.
The accident occurred on Thursday shortly after 5 p.m. near the town of Nove Zamky in the southwest of the country. According to the Slovak railway, the train was the Eurocity from Prague to Budapest. The Slovak rescue service initially reported five deaths. A spokeswoman said that unfortunately more fatalities are to be expected.
According to railway spokeswoman Vladimira Bahylova, the accident occurred at a railway crossing secured with barriers and warning lights. The train driver suffered burns because the locomotive caught fire. Images published by local media showed thick clouds of smoke and passengers carrying luggage next to a partially burning train.
A passenger on the train, Katarina Molnarova, told the AFP news agency that she heard a “thud and a bang” shortly after the train left Nove Zamky station. A few minutes later, the passengers in the rear carriages were able to leave the train, but the front part of the train was on fire. The passengers remained calm when they left the train.
According to police, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok and Deputy Slovak Police Chief Rastislav Polakovic went to the scene of the accident.
