by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
BRATISLAVA/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Authorities in Slovakia suggest that human error might be to blame for Monday’s massive train crash in eastern Slovakia that injured up to 100 people.
Slovak Railways said two fast trains collided at a point where two tracks merge into a single line. The crash occurred near the town of Rožňava shortly after 10 a.m. local time, authorities confirmed.
Police footage showed twisted metal and mangled carriages strewn across a hillside outside the village of Jablonov nad Turnou.
Slovakia’s rescue service scrambled two helicopters and several ambulances to the scene, while hospitals in the area activated trauma plans to handle the influx of casualties.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok confirmed that several “of the injured were in critical condition while the other injuries were not serious.”
Some people were reportedly trapped in the wreckage before help arrived.
HUMAN ERROR BLAMED
The minister added that “human error by one of the train drivers is the likely cause,” but an investigation was still underway.
Slovakia does have safety systems and oversight for its railways, and accidents are relatively rare in the eastern European Union nation.
However, there have been several serious incidents over the years.
Last year, an express train traveling from Prague to Budapest collided with a bus at a level crossing in southern Slovakia, killing seven people and injuring at least two others.
The most serious recorded train crash over the last 16 years was in 2009, when a train collided with a tourist coach on a level crossing in central Slovakia, killing 12 people and injuring at least 20 others.
All of the deaths and injuries occurred on the bus, which was pushed for tens of metres by the derailed train, officials said.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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