At least four people were killed and 23 were injured, three of them seriously, in a collision between a passenger and freight train in the city of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, officials announced today.
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said that the accident happened late Wednesday evening around 11 pm in the town of Pardubice, about 100 kilometers from Prague, and that none of the injured were in danger, AP reported.
The train drivers of both trains survived, the Czech agency CTK reported.
Czech television also announced that the freight train was carrying calcium carbide, but that the leak did not occur because the first two wagons were empty.
Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka said the main line between Prague and the eastern part of the country will be closed while authorities investigate the cause of the collision.
Kupka pointed out that the cause of the train collision is not yet known, agencies report.
The state-owned Czech Railways company said the line would likely remain closed all day “due to the scale of the accident.”
Rescuers said more than 300 passengers were on the high-speed train bound for the city of Košice in eastern Slovakia.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fijala said that it was a great tragedy and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
Photo: X platform
