At least six people have been killed after an international express train collided with a bus on a level crossing in southern Slovakia, emergency workers say.
The accident happened near the town of Nove Zamky, about 80km east of the capital Bratislava, according to an emergency services Facebook post.
News agencies are reporting that at least five others were injured in the incident, which happened at around 17:00 local time (16:00 BST).
Media reports say the bus was sliced in two by the impact, and photos show the locomotive on fire and passengers walking to safety along the tracks.
“I am afraid the number of people killed in this accident might grow,” Petra Klimesova, a spokeswoman of the rescue services, told AFP.
Railway spokeswoman Vladimira Bahylova told the news agency the driver of the train “suffered burns because the locomotive caught on fire”.
Local media published video footage of passengers carrying luggage alongside a train partially in flames, as thick grey smoke rose to the sky.
According to unconfirmed Slovak media reports, the level crossing had lights and barriers but these had been left out of action by a recent storm.
Slovak Railways has not commented on the claims.
Passenger Katarina Molnarova told AFP that just as she left Nove Zamky station she felt and heard a crash and bang.
“After a couple of minutes we were able to get off,” the 43-year-old cosmetician said.
“We saw that the frontal part of the train was on fire”.
She added that there was “no screaming or panicking” and that passengers took their luggage and walked to the road.
The train – described as the EuroCity 279 from Prague to Budapest – collided with a bus operated by Arriva.
Five ambulances and three air ambulances were dispatched to the scene, emergency services said.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok and deputy police chief Rastislav Polakovic were on their way to the scene of the incident, police posted on Facebook.
Source Agencies
