Thursday, June 27, 2024, saw a tragic collision between a EuroCity train and a local bus near Nove Zamky, Slovakia, resulting in seven fatalities and five injuries. The accident took place a little after 5 p.m. local time as the train was en route from Prague, Czech Republic, to Budapest, Hungary. According to the Slovak railway company ZSSK and Slovakia’s rescue service, all the deceased were bus passengers, while none of the approximately 200 passengers on the train lost their lives.
Video evidence depicts the train’s engine consumed by fire, while the bus was cut in two due to the force of the collision. Slovakia’s Interior Minister Matus Sutai Estok confirmed that the identities of the victims were still unknown after visiting the crash site.
The rail line that connects Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, to Budapest was scheduled to remain closed until no earlier than 4 a.m. on Friday for repair and investigation purposes. Stranded passengers from the train were transported by bus to Sturovo, a town on the Hungarian border.
The rescue process was hindered by the closure of the local hospital due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall the previous night. The injured were thus relocated to medical facilities in nearby towns and cities. The train’s driver, a Czech national, received minor burns, but the bus driver survived the crash.
According to Slovakia’s transport minister, Jozef Ráž, the heavy rainfall in the region the day before led to the closure of the railroad track. Ráž stated, “It was likely an individual human error that caused the train to appear on a track where it wasn’t supposed to be.”
While attending a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini expressed his condolences to the bereaved families. “I wish the injured a speedy recovery and thank the doctors and rescue teams for their work done. I wish that such catastrophes would spare Slovakia in the future,” stated Pellegrini.
In the aftermath of the incident, a comprehensive investigation is being conducted by the local authorities and railway officials to ascertain the exact cause of the collision. The incident occurred at a crossing protected by gates, but the reasons why the train was on the track remain undetermined.
