On Tuesday afternoon, two passenger trains collided in the mountains near Pernink in Karlovy Vary. Two passengers were killed, and 24 were injured. The Police of the Czech Republic have detained the driver of one of the trains, under suspicion of causing the crash. Photo source: Policie CR.
Czech Rep., Jul 8 (BD) – On Tuesday, July 7th, shortly after 3pm, two passenger trains collided on the Pernink-Nejdek line. 33 people were aboard the trains at the time of collision, including drivers and staff. Two people died in the crash, and rescue services took 24 others to hospital with injuries ranging from mild to serious. Police have detained the driver of one of the trains, under suspicion of causing the crash by negligence.
The accident happened around 3.10pm, between Novy Hamry and Pernink. A passenger train travelling from Karlovy Vary to Johanngeorgenstadt in Germany collided with a passenger train travelling in the opposite direction. Nine of the 24 injured were seriously or moderately injured, the Karlovy Vary rescue services told CTK, and two were killed, including one Czech and one German.
Seven paramedics were on scene to treat the injuries. The fire brigade transported those with the lightest injuries by rail to the railway station in Pernink. The most seriously injured were airlifted to hospitals in Plzen, Ústí nad Labem and Zwickau, Germany, and minor cases were taken to hospitals in Karlovy Vary and Sokolov.
The accident happened less than a kilometer from the station in Pernink in mountainous terrain. After the accident, both train cabins were completely demolished. According to České Dráhy, which operates transport services on the line, the trains were due to cross at the Pernink station according to the timetable. National police are investigating the cause of the crash, in cooperation with the Rail Safety Inspection Office, and have detained the driver of one of the trains under suspicion of committing a crime of general negligence.
According to Jan Kučera of the Rail Safety Inspection Office, talking to Radiožurnál, investigators listened to recordings of the communication between the drivers and the conducting dispatcher. From the recordings, he said, it appeared that the train going to Karlovy Vary was supposed to be waiting for the oncoming passenger train at Pernink, which did not happen.
České Dráhy will also conduct an internal investigation of the incident, and will cooperate with independent investigative bodies, the Rail Safety Inspection Office and the Police of the Czech Republic, to determine the exact causes of the accident.
The Rail Safety Inspection Office estimated the preliminary damage at CZK 20 million. Traffic on the track resumed this morning.
