At least six people were killed and five others sustained injuries after a train and a bus collided at a railway crossing in southern Slovakia. The crash occurred near the south-western town of Nové Zámky, AFP reported, citing CTK news agency. Following the incident, five ambulances and three air ambulances were dispatched to the scene, emergency services said, as reported by the BBC.
Speaking to AFP, the railway spokesperson, Vladimira Bahylova, said that the Eurocity train had been heading from Prague to Budapest.
“Six people suffered injuries incompatible with life,” the Slovak rescue service said. “At least five people were injured,” it further stated. Petra Klimesova, a spokesperson for the rescue services, said the injured required “immediate medical assistance,” as quoted by AFP. “I am afraid the number of people killed in this accident might grow,” the spokesperson further stated.
Bahylova said the driver of the train “suffered burns because the locomotive caught on fire.” She further said that the collision occurred at a railway crossing protected by barriers and was equipped with light signals.
In the video footage shared by local media, passengers were seen carrying luggage alongside a train partly in flames. A passenger on the train, Katarina Molnarova, recorded the video. Speaking to AFP, she said, “felt and heard a crash and a bang” just as the train left the Nové Zámky station.
The 43-year-old cosmetician from the southern town of Sturovo said, “After a couple of minutes, we were able to get off… We saw that the front part of the train was on fire.”
“There was no screaming or panicking… We grabbed our luggage and walked to the road. I saw parts of the bus that had been scattered upon impact,” she stated.