Fatal train and bus collision in Slovakia likely due to human error

The train engine caught fire after the crash, while the bus was badly damaged and broke into two parts (Slovak Police via AP)

A collision between a train and a bus in southern Slovakia on Thursday that left seven people dead was likely caused by human error, the Slovak transport minister has said.

Some 200 people were aboard the EuroCity train travelling from the Czech capital of Prague crossing through Slovakia on its way to the Hungarian capital of Budapest when the incident took place shortly after 3pm at a crossing near the town of Nove Zamky.

The train engine caught fire after the crash, while the bus was badly damaged and broke into two parts.

Emergency vehicles at the scene of the collision — Emergency vehicles attended the scene of the collision (Henrich Misovic/TASR via AP)

All of the deaths were aboard the bus.

The minister, Jozef Raz, said that heavy rains had hit the area on Wednesday, the day before the crash, forcing the closure of the railway track to all traffic.

Preliminary results from the investigation showed no technical or systemic errors had occurred, Mr Raz said.

“It was likely an individual human error which caused the train to appear on a track where it wasn’t supposed to be,” he said.

Five injured people from the bus were transported to hospitals in nearby towns and cities.

The local hospital was closed on Thursday because of flooding from the heavy rain overnight.