Train disaster in Pardubice claims four lives, dozens injured
In Pardubice, Czechia, a passenger train collided with a freight train: 4 people died, and dozens were injured. Firefighters rescued the train passengers and evacuated those without injuries to parked buses, then to the station building, where psychological help was ready.
Four people were killed in a head-on collision between an express passenger train and a freight train in Pardubice on Wednesday late in the evening. The Minister of the Interior, Vít Rakušan, conveyed this information to journalists at the accident site. He added that 23 people were injured.
At the moment, it is not possible to speculate on the causes of the accident, said Minister of Transport Martin Kupka.
According to the Railways Administration, the trains collided just before 11 pm at the new Pardubice Centrum stop. Police spokeswoman Markéta Janowská said it is not currently possible to determine if there were any foreigners among the victims. "It's still early," she said 3 hours later.
Firefighters rescued the train passengers and evacuated those without injuries to parked buses, then to the station building, where psychological help was ready.
Firefighters gradually managed to identify all the passengers, over 300 of whom were on the RegioJet train heading to Slovakia. "A special hotline 950 570 805 was created," they wrote on the social media platform X.
The drivers of the crashed trains survived the accident, said Martin Kavka, spokesman for the Railways Administration's firefighters. He added that one of them was taken to the hospital. "However, his health is not in danger," he admitted.
The police commented after the accident
After 02:30, the police announced on platform X that the rescue operation had ended, and an inspection of the accident site had begun. "We ask passengers to postpone their journey to Pardubice or through Pardubice at least until Thursday, 6th June," wrote České Dráhy online.
According to CNN, citing Czech television, the freight train was supposed to be transporting calcium carbide, a dangerous chemical.
