At least five die in Slovakian train collision with bus

Firefighters work at the site after an accident between a train and a bus. At least five people have died and at least five more were injured when an express train collided with a bus in Slovakia. Kr Pz V Nitre/TASR/dpa

At least five people have died and at least five more were injured when an express train collided with a bus in Slovakia, the state rescue service announced on Thursday evening.

More than 100 passengers were on the Eurocity train travelling from Prague towards Budapest when it crashed into the regional bus near the town of Nove Zamky, the TASR news agency reported, citing information from the police and the state railway company ZSSK.

The public broadcaster RTVS reported that the bus was quite literally torn apart in the collision. The locomotive of the train caught fire.

The cause of the accident was initially unclear. Media speculated that the signalling system at the level crossing might have been damaged by flooding that had persisted since Wednesday evening. However, there was no official confirmation of this.

Firefighters work at the site after an accident between a train and a bus. At least five people have died and at least five more were injured when an express train collided with a bus in Slovakia. Kr Pz V Nitre/TASR/dpa