We are continuously updating the article.
- Express trains R 913 and R 914 GEMERAN collided;
- this happened at the point where the tracks cross – they transition into a single-track track near the tunnel;
- 69 people were injured, seven of them seriously. Another 14 were moderately injured and 48 lightly. The accident did not claim any lives ;
- several ministers arrived at the scene of the accident, their statements can be found in the videos located below in the article;
- according to information from the scene of the accident, the railway accident was probably caused by human error;
- the police have launched a criminal prosecution for public endangerment;
- Read how witnesses describe the high-speed train collision in eastern Slovakia.
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In the collision of Gemeran express trains near Jablonov nad Turnou, 69 people were injured. Seven of them are seriously injured, 14 moderately and 48 have minor injuries. This was stated by the Minister of Health Kamil Šaško. The balance of injured people changed repeatedly during the day. The Minister of Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok stated that no one died.
"All the injured were taken to hospitals. Fire and Rescue Corps evacuation buses were also on site, transporting lightly injured people to nearby hospitals," the Fire and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) added.
Minister Šaško reported from the scene of the accident that hospitals in Rožňava and Košice have activated trauma plans."So far, they are managing it very well, within their capabilities," Šaško added.
"Of our four colleagues who were on the trains, one suffered serious injuries and is in the care of rescuers. The other three are fine and are cooperating with the evacuation and providing information," the Slovak Railway Company (ZSSK) said on Monday afternoon.
All rescue services were at the scene of the accident. Eight ground ambulances of the emergency medical service and three rescue helicopters were sent there. Due to the number of injured, the rescue helicopter from Košice returned to the scene of the accident repeatedly.
The train collision was caught on camera (video with sound)
The police are currently securing the entire area of the accident. The police's role is not only to coordinate the work of the rescue services, but also to direct the movement of people in the immediate vicinity to prevent further danger.
Rail service on the section is currently suspended and has been replaced by bus service. The rail repair is expected to resume on Tuesday.
The damage to the railway equipment is several million euros. According to Transport Minister Jozef Ráž, technicians will soon begin removing the wreckage."There is some assumption that there was no system error, but human error," Ráž said about the causes of the accident.
"The cause of the collision is under investigation. At the moment, the priority is the rescue and evacuation of passengers and our employees. We will continuously update the information," said Ján Baček, spokesman for the Slovak Railway Company (ZSSK), adding that replacement bus services are provided on the route. The buses transport people between Rožňava and Jablonov nad Turnňou.
Human factor failure
Several ministers arrived at the scene of the emergency, including the head of the transport department, Jozef Ráž (nominated by Smer-SD), the Minister of Health, Kamil Šašek (Voice-SD), and the Minister of the Interior, Matúš Šutaj Eštok.
According to the findings so far, no one was killed. This was announced at a press conference by the Minister of the Interior, Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD). According to him, this is an extraordinary traffic accident, which probably occurred due to human error. One of the train drivers probably did not give way to the other.
"I don't want to speculate about the causes at this point, but according to initial information, it's not a system error, but a human factor failure. It turns out that one of the locomotive drivers made a mistake and probably didn't give way, but for now it's only a preliminary version," said Šutaj Eštok.
Over the abyss
One of the trains remained on the tracks after the collision, while the other is reportedly hanging over a precipice. Passengers are currently being evacuated from both sets, with firefighters and an evacuation bus responding to the scene.
The driver of one of the trains was subjected to a breath test and a test for the presence of narcotics and psychotropic substances on site, with a negative result.
Due to the extent of his injuries, the second train driver was airlifted to the hospital, where biological material will be taken to determine the presence of alcohol and drugs.
There is a risk that the derailed cars will fall down a steep slope into a several-meter-deep precipice.
27Criminal prosecution
"The investigator of the District Directorate of the Police in Rožňava has initiated criminal prosecution for the crime of public danger in connection with the railway accident that occurred this morning," the police informed this afternoon.
Law enforcement officials said they used a service drone and a 3D scanner to document the incident. They also deployed service dogs to search the wider area surrounding the accident.
"We thank all drivers who respected the police instructions during the day. The closure of the main road was necessary for the smooth and rapid transfer of injured people to hospitals, as well as for the safe performance of rescue and documentation work," the police said, adding that the road is now fully passable.
33 treated in Košice hospital
Louis Pasteur University Hospital (UNLP) Košice has activated a trauma plan in connection with Monday's collision between two express trains in the Rožňava district and the number of injured people. This was announced by UNLP spokeswoman Ladislava Šustová.
"One patient with serious injuries was transported by helicopter to the trauma surgery clinic, he is currently in the operating room," she said. According to her, a fire evacuation bus is also heading to the hospital from the accident, which will bring in patients with moderate injuries."We are continuously monitoring the situation. It is not possible to comment on the total number of injured at this time," she added.
A total of 33 patients were treated at the hospital's trauma surgery clinic, four of whom were in serious condition with immediate life-threatening injuries, nine had serious injuries, and the rest had minor injuries. This was announced by the head of the clinic, Rastislav Burda, at a press conference at UNLP.
Prešov Hospital admitted 12 patients
The J. A. Reiman University Hospital and Polyclinic in Prešov has so far provided medical assistance to 12 patients after the train collision in Jablonov nad Turňou. One of them suffered serious injuries, while eleven patients were treated for minor injuries. This was reported by hospital spokeswoman Martina Pavliková.
"The patient with serious injuries suffered a spinal injury and is hospitalized in the trauma surgery department. His condition is stabilized. Eleven other patients were gradually treated with minor injuries in the trauma clinic, mostly lacerations, abrasions, and bruises caused by the impact. Most of them can be discharged to home treatment. Prešov Hospital is prepared with both personnel and equipment to help mitigate the consequences of this accident," said the hospital's director, Juraj Smatana.
Lack of modern security
After today's accident, the general secretary of the Association of Industrial Unions and Transport Andrej Lasz responded:"In Slovakia, we have only less than 250 kilometers of tracks out of a total of 3,600 kilometers equipped with the modern ETCS security system. These are the Bratislava - Žilina and Žilina - Čadca sections. We don't have it anywhere else. Only 11% of the tracks are dispatchable, i.e. remotely controlled.
This means that if the human factor fails and the driver runs the signal to stop, nothing can prevent a collision. Only modern safety systems could prevent this. We are lagging behind in digitalization and automation, we lack predictable financing, a plan of priorities and sanctions for non-compliance.
Therefore, together with AROS - the Association of Railway Carriers of Slovakia and transport experts, we have prepared a draft law on national transport infrastructure, which is intended to eliminate long-term systemic failures. The law is intended to ensure predictable and stable financing of transport infrastructure, its transparent and targeted use at the national, regional and local levels, and a binding list of transport investment priorities with clearly defined responsibilities and sanctions for failure to meet deadlines.
If we want to prevent similar tragedies, it simply won't work without a long-term vision and strategic planning. We can't wait for another disaster to happen. We need to start acting on a clear vision, with a long-term modernization plan that will bring about more modern and safer transport.”
