
At least six people have been killed and five others injured after a passenger train and bus collided at a railway crossing in southern Slovakia.
The crash happened shortly after 17:00 (15:00 GMT) near the southwestern town of Nové Zámky, the CTK news agency reported. Railway spokeswoman Vladimira Bahylova told AFP that the Eurocity train had departed from Prague to Budapest.
Petra Klimesova, a spokeswoman for the rescue services, said the injured needed immediate treatment and added that the number of people killed in the accident could rise.
The train driver suffered severe burns as the locomotive caught fire. The collision occurred at a level crossing that was protected by barriers and was equipped with light signals.
Local media released video footage of passengers carrying luggage next to a partially burning train as thick gray smoke billowed into the sky. Katarina Molnarova, a passenger who recorded the video, told AFP that she "felt and heard a crash and a noise" just as the train left Nové Zámky station.
"After a few minutes we were able to get off... We saw that the front of the train was on fire," he said. "There was no screaming or panic... We took our luggage and walked down the street," were the comments of the witnesses.