A bus and and train collided in Nové Zámky, southern Slovakia, on June 27, 2024. (source: Facebook/Operational Centre of the Emergency Medical Service of the Slovak Republic)
A fatal traffic accident occurred at a railway crossing on Dvorská Street (II/1503) in Nové Zámky, southern Slovakia, shortly after five o'clock on June 27.
At least seven people died and another five were injured in a collision between the EuroCity 279 train and an Arriva bus. Five victims burned to death inside the bus, reports the news website tvnoviny.sk. None of the passengers on the international train were injured.
Five ambulances, three helicopters, and several fire crews were called to the scene, reports the My Nové Zámky website. The Red Cross set up a tent on site.
According to My Nové Zámky, two trains passed through the crossing in quick succession. The bus initially stopped at the crossing. When the barriers opened after the first train passed, the bus entered the crossing and was subsequently struck by another train.
On Friday, June 28, Transport Minister Jozef Ráž Jr. (Smer nom.) said that the weather, among other things, was to blame for the crash.
"The day before [Wednesday, ed.], it caused flooding and the closure of one track on this route. A train appeared on the track that was closed and should not have been in operation," said the minister.
It is not clear why the train was using the closed track on Thursday afternoon. The investigation is underway.
The police in Nové Zámky have initiated criminal proceedings in this case for the crime of public endangerment in conjunction with the offences of manslaughter and causing bodily harm.
The accident took place on the main international route used by trains travelling between Budapest-Bratislava-Prague. The EC train involved was headed towards Budapest. The locomotive and train driver belonged to the České Dráhy company (Czech Railways), while the train set and personnel belonged to Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (Slovak Railways/ZSSK).
"More than 100 passengers were on the train, for whom we have arranged alternative transportation to Štúrovo station," ZSSK spokesperson Dominik Drevický said.
According to My Nové Zámky, around 200 people were on the train. Nine people, including the bus driver, were on the bus.
The bus was torn into two parts after the collision. The 53-year-old bus driver, who has worked for Arriva since 1988, is in serious condition after the collision.
Six of seven victims are said to come from Semerovo, a town of 1,300 people. One from the town of Čechy.
Due to the accident, at least three international express trains were halted. EC 131 Bathory and EC 173 Hungaria were stationed at Nové Zámky station, both heading towards Budapest. Heading in the opposite direction, EC 270 Metropolitan was also halted on Thursday.
Road 511 was impassable. A detour route led from Nitrianska Street in Nové Zámky via Považská Street towards Dvory nad Žitavou on road I/75.
On Thursday, the hospital in Nové Zámky was non-functional following Wednesday's storm. Patients from the scene were transported to hospitals in Komárno, Levice, Galanta, and Bratislava.
The hospital partially reopened on Friday. However, lifts are out of order.
