Horror as two trains crash just 12 miles from capital city with dozens of casualties

The crash happened 12 miles from Bratislava (Image: Čitateľka Renáta)

Dozens of people were left injured following a horror crash just 12 miles from a major capital city. Horrifying pictures from the scene show how the two trains collided head to head in  Slovakia leaving 11 people seriously injured.

Officials were called at 7.31pm local time near Pezinok, a town in the Bratislava region where Train Tatran 620, travelling from Kosice to Bratislava, collided with REX 1814, which was heading from Nitra to the capital. According to the reports, one of the trains ran a red signal and struck the other from the behind causing a massive crash between the two. Around 70 firefighters and over 60 police officers have rushed to the scene, it has been reported. 

Bratislava police said: "At 7:31pm, we received a report on line 158 about a collision between two trains on the Pezinok – Bratislava Main Station section. All rescue services are being dispatched to the scene."

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok confirmed that dozens of passengers have suffered minor injuries. 

Ivan Bednarok, head of Slovak railway service ZSR said: "This is an extraordinary incident. One of the trains was in a place it shouldn’t have been. I won’t speculate before the investigation is complete, but it clearly ran a red signal, leaving a stop where it shouldn’t have, and the second express train collided with it from behind at an estimated speed of over 100 km/h."

State-owned rail operator ZSSK earlier said: "Emergency services are responding at the scene of the accident, and several injuries have been reported. ZSSK is currently working closely with state-run railway-infrastructure operator ZSR, the police, and emergency services.

"We'll thoroughly investigate the incident - its causes are unknown at this time. We'll provide further details as soon as the investigation allows - expect an update in the coming hours."

According to the hospital authorities, several people will have to undergo surgery. A spokesperson for University Hospital Bratislava said: "Two patients are currently undergoing surgery. We expect the number of people who will have to undergo surgery to increase."