At least 4 killed, 27 injured in train collision in Czech Republic : officials

A passenger train and a freight train collided in the Czech Republic, killing at least four people and injuring 27 others, officials said on Thursday.

The accident happened late Wednesday in the city of Pardubice, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Prague, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said. The high-speed passenger train belonged to the private RegioJet company.

Mr. Rakuson said none of the injured were in danger.

Rescue workers said the train was carrying 380 passengers who were heading from the eastern Slovak city of Kosice to the town of Chop across the Ukrainian border.

At least two Ukrainian women were killed in the crash, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“An officer of the Ukrainian consulate in (the Czech city) Brno is at the scene and is in constant contact with rescue and law enforcement agencies,” it said.

The drivers of both trains survived, the local CTK news agency reported.

Transport Minister Martin Kupka said the main track between Prague and the country’s east had to be closed while authorities investigated the collision. It was partially reopened nine hours later and state train company Czech Railways advised that travellers should avoid using the route throughout the day.

The corridor in Pardubice, where the trains collided, is important for Czech Railways.

The driver of the passenger train failed to stop at a stop sign, said Martin Droppel, a spokesman for a government agency that investigates train accidents. He said it was not immediately clear whether this was due to human error or a technical problem.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the accident a major tragedy and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed. Regiojet owner Radim Jancura also said his company was ready to pay compensation to passengers