TRAIN HORROR
At least 4 dead & 23 injured as high-speed passenger train carrying 300 ploughs into freight cars in Czech Republic
Cops have opened a criminal investigation on suspicion of negligence
FOUR people have died and 23 more are injured following a horrific train collision in the Czech Republic.
A passenger train carrying 300 people crashed head-on with a freight train late on Wednesday night outside Prague.
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The high-speed train smashed into a freight train with 21 cars as it travelled from Prague last night.
Images from the scene showed the yellow RegioJet train crumpled on the tracks of a main railway route.
Hordes of emergency services were gathered at the scene in Pardubice, a city 100km east of the capital.
Dramatic pictures showed firefighters stabilising and digging through the mangled wreck.
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Czech police said this morning a criminal investigation had been opened over suspicions of "public endangerment due to negligence".
Helicopters, ambulances and fire services were all involved in the emergency response.
The track where the trains crashed serves as the Czech Republic's key railway line, connecting the capital to the rest of the country.
The horrific smash happened around 11pm on Wednesday as the train was travelling overnight from Prague to Kosice, a city in Slovakia.
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Czech minister Vit Rakusan said none of the injured were left in a life-threatening condition.
But three of the dozens hurt did suffer more serious injuries, Reuters reports.
The four dead have yet to be identified.
Czech outlet iDNES said children are among those hurt in the crash.
Transport minister Martin Kupka said the track had been closed as authorities investigate the collision.
He said: "We can't and won't speculate about the cause of the accident."
State-run train giant Czech Railways said it would likely be shut for a minimum of 24 hours "due to the extent of the accident".
Detectives were sent to the scene along with eight other investigators, iDNES reports.
Czech cops said on X last night: "A passenger and freight train collided in Pardubice.
"All units of the IZS are currently working on the scene, a trauma plan has been announced, there are a large number of injured people on the scene, we cannot rule out even the dead."
This morning they confirmed: "A little while ago, the train sets were spotted by forensic officers and forensic technicians, and we handed over the place to the railway fire brigade.
"We have initiated criminal proceedings on suspicion of the crime of public endangerment due to negligence."
Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on X:
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A train crash is a great misfortune. "We are all thinking of the victims and the injured. I express my sincere condolences to all the survivors."
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