At least 66 injured after two trains collide in Slovakia

Two trains collided in eastern Slovakia on Monday, derailing an engine and a carriage and injuring at least 66 people, emergency medical services and police said.

There were no reports of deaths in the crash, which police said happened in front of a tunnel near the village of Jablonov nad Turnou, about 55 km (34 miles) west of the eastern Slovak region’s main city Kosice.

The country’s emergency medical services said 16 people suffered moderate or serious injuries and at least 50 were lightly injured.

Police footage on Facebook showed mangled wreckage, and a locomotive and a carriage that had come off the tracks lying on the side of a hill following the crash, which happened just after 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT).

There were about 80 passengers on the trains, police said.

Slovak Railways said the two trains collided at a point where tracks cross and turn into a single line, and that the cause was under investigation.

AFP adds that firefighters and rescue workers were “pulling people out through the doors”, according to emergency services, and the police posted photos on social media of a partially derailed carriage and smashed locomotive.

“According to preliminary information, there were approximately 80 passengers on the trains. Based on findings so far, no fatalities have been reported,” Slovak regional police said on Facebook.

A rescue service spokeswoman told AFP at least 20 people had been injured. She could not immediately give further details.

The accident happened near the village of Jablonov nad Turnou about 350 kilometres (200 miles) east of the capital, Bratislava.

Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Facebook the transport and interior ministers were on the way to the “scene of the tragedy”.

Police said they were still investigating the cause of the accident.

Last year, seven people died and five were injured when a passenger train and a bus collided at a railway crossing.