- Over 100 people were on the Eurocity train at the time.
- Video footage showed the train engine was on fire.
- The bus was badly damaged.
More than 100 people were aboard the Eurocity train when the accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) in the town of Nove Zamky, according to police and the Slovak railway company ZSSK. Slovakia’s rescue service confirmed the deaths and injuries.
Video footage showed that the engine of the train was on fire, according to railway officials. The crash badly damaged the bus, and police reported that Interior Minister Matus Sutai Estok was heading to the scene of the accident.
The major train track linking Slovakia’s capital Bratislava with Budapest has been closed until further notice.
According to ZSSK, buses are transporting more than 100 stranded passengers aboard the stricken train to the town of Sturovo on the Hungarian border.
President Peter Pellegrini, who was in Brussels attending a summit of European Union leaders, extended his condolences to the relatives of the deceased.
“I wish the injured a speedy recovery and thank the doctors and rescue teams for their work done,” Pellegrini said. “I wish that such catastrophes would avoid Slovakia in the future.”
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