Six people were killed and five others injured Thursday in a collision between a train and a bus at a level crossing in southern Slovakia, emergency services announced.
“Six people died from their injuries,” said the Slovak rescue service, updating a previous report which reported five deaths. “At least five people were injured,” the service added on Facebook. Railway company spokeswoman Vladimira Bahylova told AFP that the Eurocity train was traveling from Prague to Budapest.
Petra Klimesova, a spokeswoman for the rescue services, said the injured needed “immediate medical assistance”. “I fear that the number of people killed in this accident will increase,” she told AFP. The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. local time (same time in Switzerland), near the town of Nove Zamky, in the southwest of the country, the CTK news agency said.
Railway spokesperson Vladimira Bahylova told AFP that the train driver “suffered from burns because the locomotive caught fire.” She said the collision occurred at a level crossing protected by barriers and equipped with light signals.
Local media published a video showing passengers next to a partially burning train, as thick grey smoke rose into the sky.
One passenger, Katarina Molnarova, told AFP she “felt and heard a shock and a bang” as the train left Nove Zamky station. “After a few minutes, we were able to get off. (…) We saw that the front part of the train was on fire,” said the 43-year-old beautician from the southern town of Sturovo.
“There was no screaming or panic… We took our luggage and walked to the road. (…) I saw parts of the bus that had been scattered during the impact.” Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok and Deputy Police Chief Rastislav Polakovic visited the scene of the accident, police said on Facebook.
