Dozens injured in train collision near Bratislava, Slovakia

Dozens of people were injured when two passenger trains collided on a rail line north of Bratislava, Slovakia, according to police and local officials. No fatalities were reported.

The collision occurred at around 7:31 p.m. on Sunday between the towns of Pezinok and Bratislava, police said. Emergency crews responded to the scene, and authorities confirmed that both train drivers tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

According to local newspaper SME, at least 18 people were taken to hospitals in the Bratislava area, while dozens of others suffered minor injuries. Two passengers were undergoing surgery, and hospital officials said more patients may require operations as doctors assess their conditions.

The crash involved a regional train traveling from Nitra to Bratislava and an express train on the same route.

Preliminary findings suggest the regional train may have passed a red signal before being struck from behind by the express service, which was traveling at an estimated 100 kilometers per hour (about 62 mph), Slovak Railways director Ivan Bednárik told SME.

“I won’t prejudge the conclusions of the investigation,” Bednárik told reporters at the scene, “but the train obviously ran a red light and left the stop where it shouldn’t have been.”

Police said the trains did not collide head-on and neither derailed. The cause of the accident remains under investigation by regional police and Slovak Railways officials.