An international express train collided with a bus on a level crossing in southern Slovakia, resulting in at least six deaths, according to emergency responders. The incident occurred near Nove Zamky, approximately 80km east of Bratislava, around 17:00 local time (16:00 BST).
Reports indicate at least five others were injured, including the critically injured drivers of both vehicles who were hospitalized. All fatalities are believed to have been passengers on the Arriva bus, which was severely damaged in the collision.
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Images showed the train on fire and passengers evacuating along the tracks. Rescue services spokesperson Petra Klimesova expressed concern that the death toll might rise. Officials stated there were about 200 people on the train and nine on the bus at the time of the accident, as reported during a press briefing.
The train involved in the collision was EuroCity 279, traveling from Prague to Budapest via Bratislava. It was operated by a Czech Railways locomotive pulling Slovak Railways carriages. Czech Railways commended the quick actions of its driver, who prevented injuries to passengers by taking swift measures to avoid derailment. The driver reportedly entered the control room moments before impact, sustaining burns in the subsequent fire.
According to an Arriva spokesperson quoted in Slovak media, the bus driver had more than thirty years of experience. Video footage from local media showed passengers carrying luggage near a partially engulfed train, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. Unconfirmed reports from Slovak media suggested that recent storms had disabled the lights and barriers at the level crossing, but it remains uncertain if they were operational at the time of the crash. Slovak Railways has not addressed these claims.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, present at the scene, emphasized on social media the importance of vigilance at railroad crossings and on roads. Passenger Katarina Molnarova, who witnessed the crash, described feeling and hearing the impact just after departing Nove Zamky station. She noted that passengers calmly evacuated with their belongings, despite the fire on the train’s front end. Emergency services dispatched five ambulances and three air ambulances to the scene.
