Czech train-truck collision injures 9

PRAGUE: At least nine people were injured on Monday in a collision involving a passenger train and a truck in Holesov, southeastern Czech Republic.

According to the local fire rescue service, the accident happened shortly after 7 a.m. local time. “Firefighters found out that about 50 passengers were traveling on the train … The train partially derailed after the collision.”

The injured were sent to hospital. The fire rescue service of Zlin region said in a statement that among them, one person was in serious condition. The uninjured passengers were transferred to another train station using an evacuation bus.

“After the collision, there was a large leak of operating fluids from the truck, which the firefighters covered with the sorbent and prevented further leak. The derailed train set was secured against further movement,” it added.

Due to the “serious situation” at the scene of the accident, the rescue service estimated that train traffic in the area will be interrupted “for several hours.”

Local media reported that the truck driver suffered serious injuries as a result of the collision.

“The accident was probably caused by the truck driver’s inattention, but the investigation is continuing,” the Czech News Agency reported, citing a spokesman from the Railway Administration.

File Photo:- Czech Rail Safety Inspection Office via AP

-Xinhua