Three dead, dozens injured in Czech passenger train crash

At least three people have died and more than 40 others suffered injuries when a high-speed train travelling from Munich, Germany, to Prague collided with a commuter passenger train in the Czech Republic, according to local authorities.

Police said the victims of Wednesday’s crash, which happened shortly after 8am local time (06:00 GMT), were the drivers of both trains and a female passenger, all of them Czech nationals.

Eight passengers were seriously injured during the incident in the town of Milavce, 140km (87 miles) southwest of Prague, according to the regional rescue service. Several were taken by helicopter to hospital from the crash site.

Ten German passengers with lighter injuries were taken by ambulance to hospitals in Germany, a Czech medical service coordinator said.

About 50 passengers in all suffered minor injuries not requiring immediate treatment. National police said every passenger onboard was accounted for.

Czech Transport Minister Karel Havlicek, who was making his way to the scene, tweeted that human error likely caused the crash.

He claimed the driver of the high-speed train “went through a signal indicating Stop”.

“The situation is serious,” Havlicek said.

TV footage on Czech Television showed the smashed driver’s cabin of the fast train’s locomotive, as well as the front part of the local train.

Both trains remained upright on or near the tracks.