20240628 train
Passengers alongside a train in flames. Image Credit: Videograb

Bratislava: Four people were killed and five injured Thursday when a passenger train and bus collided at a railway crossing in southern Slovakia, rescuers said.

The crash occurred just after 5:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) near the southwestern town of Nove Zamky, the CTK news agency reported.The crash occurred just after 5pm local time near the southwestern town of Nove Zamky

Get exclusive content with Gulf News WhatsApp channel

"There are four people fatally injured and five that required immediate medical assistance," Petra Klimesova, a spokeswoman of the rescue services, told AFP.

"I am afraid the number of people killed in this accident might grow," she added.

Railway spokeswoman Vladimira Bahylova told AFP the driver of the train "suffered burns because the locomotive caught on fire".

She said the collision occurred at a railway crossing that was protected by barriers and was equipped with light signals.

Local media published video footage of passengers carrying luggage alongside a train partially in flames, as thick grey smoke rose to the sky.