two Czech trains crash, injuring at least 43 people

February 18, 2009 - 0:0

PRAGUE (AP) -- Two trains crashed head on in the Czech Republic on Monday, and at least 43 people were reported injured.

The accident took place near a train station in Northern Moravia, a region 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of Prague, the capital.
Ondrej Kubala, an official with the Czech Rail authority, said the crash occurred when a small local commuter train with 110 people aboard went through a red light and left the station ahead of schedule at about 25 mph (40 kph). It collided head on with a larger train that slammed on its breaks while carrying 120 passengers.
At least 43 people were injured, three of them severely, including the driver of the smaller train, the national CKT news agency reported.
“Why he did not stop we do not know,” Kubala said of the injured driver.
Television reports from the scene showed the engine of the smaller train was heavily damaged, but that only one passenger car from the two trains appeared to have derailed.