Three dead, dozens injured after passenger trains collide in the Czech Republic
Two passenger trains have collided in the south-west of the Czech Republic, killing three people and injuring dozens of passengers.
Czech Railways said a local passenger train and an international high-speed train that was heading from Munich to the western Czech city of Plzen and the Czech capital of Prague were involved in the collision.
Police said at least three people died in the crash, which occurred shortly after 8am (4pm AEST) in the town of Milavce. The victims included the the drivers of both engines and a female passenger, authorities said.
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The Western Express Train collided with a passenger train near the village of Milavce between the stations Domazlice and Blizejov, Czech Republic. AP
Dozens of people were injured, five of them seriously, the Fire Rescue Service of the Plzen region said in a statement.
Four helicopters were transporting the injured to nearby hospitals and to Prague, while three German speakers were taken to hospitals in Germany.
The regional rescue service said a total of 52 people needed treatment.
Nearby rescuers from Germany came to help their Czech colleagues treat the injured.
Pictures from the site showed the badly damaged front of the high-speed train's engine.
The train is operated by Germany's Laenderbahn company and the Czech Railways.
The Western Express Train collided with a passenger train near the village of Milavce between the stations Domazlice and Blizejov, Czech Republic. AP
Czech Transport Minister Karel Havlicek said human error likely caused the crash.
He said the driver of the high-speed train had failed to stop at a designated location.
"The situation is serious," the Minister said, on his way to the site.
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