Passenger trains collide in Czech Republic, killing 2

Two passenger trains collided in the southwest of the Czech Republic on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring dozens of passengers.

Police said the crash occurred shortly after 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) in the town of Milavce.

Czech Railways said a local passenger train and an international high-speed train that connects the western Czech city of Plzen with Munich in Germany and were involved in the collision.

The regional fire department said at least two people have died.

Dozens of people were injured, five of them seriously, the Fire Rescue Service of the Plzen region said in a statement. Four helicopters were transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.

The regional rescue service said a total of 52 people needed treatment. Rescuers from nearby Germany came to help their Czech colleagues treat the injured.

Pictures from the site showed a badly damaged front part of the high-speed train's engine.

Czech Transport Minister Karel Havlicek said human error likely caused the crash. He said the driver of the high-speed train had failed to stop at a designated location.

“The situation is serious,” Havlicek said.