Several killed in Czech train crash, dozens injured

Four people died and more than two dozen were injured after a passenger train collided with a freight train late on Wednesday in the Czech city of Pardubice, the regional governor said.

"A head-on collision between a RegioJet train and a freight train claimed several lives and left dozens injured," Martin Netolicky, governor of the Pardubice region, said on Facebook.

Firefighters, paramedics and doctors, as well as at least one rescue helicopter, were deployed to the scene of the accident, some 100 kilometers east of the capital Prague.

Some 23 people were injured in the collision, according to Interior Minister Vit Rakusan.

He said that 20 people sustained minor injuries and three were moderately injured.

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

The country's interior and transport ministers said they were headed to the accident scene while Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed his "sincere condolences to all the bereaved" in a post on social media platform X.

300 passengers on board, carriage derailed

The fast train, operated by RegioJet, was traveling overnight from Prague to Kosice in eastern Slovakia, the Railway Administration said. 

The accident occurred shortly before 23:00 (2100 GMT) near the main train station in Pardubice, Czech TV reported.

According to Fire Rescue Services, over 300 passengers were on board. 

A large number of the passengers were foreigners, Czech TV said.

Many Ukrainians use the line on their way to the town of Chop in Ukraine's southwestern Zakarpattia region that borders Slovakia. 

Media footage showed at least one carriage off the track after the crash. Passengers were seen being ushered into buses near the Pardubice main station. 

Transport Minister Martin Kupka said a major track between Prague and the eastern part of the country had to be shut down while authorities investigate the collision.

Kupka said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the collision as investigations were still underway.

The Czech government plans to implement the European Train Control System (ETCS) throughout the entire rail network to improve safety.

dvv, sdi/jsi, ab (dpa, AFP, Reuters; AP)