The accident happened near the town of Novska in Slavonia, around 90 kilometers southeast of the capital Zagreb. A passenger train ran into a stationary freight train and derailed, Croatian media reported.
The accident happened around 9:30 p.m. The passenger train was on its way from Vinkovci to Novska when it crashed into the stationary freight train about ten minutes from its destination. The freight train, which came from the Serbian border town of Šid, may have stopped due to a technical defect.
Missed the stop signal?
The investigators suspect that the driver of the passenger train could have overlooked the stop signal. It was initially unclear at what speed the train was traveling at the time of the impact. According to the media, a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour is permitted on this part of the route.
According to the police, eight foreigners, including a child, were among the injured. The media reported that they should be Iranian citizens. It is still to be determined whether they were traveling in the passenger or freight train. A family of five from Iran is reportedly being treated at the hospital in Nova Gradiška. None of the eleven injured who were taken to nearby hospitals is in mortal danger.
17-year-old passenger among the dead
The three fatalities are said to be Croatians, their identity was confirmed by the authorities on Saturday, according to which two railway employees died, the train driver (52) and the conductor (60), as well as a 17-year-old passenger from Novska. According to the media, it is the second worst train accident since Croatia’s independence.
According to the reports, the rescue workers, who have been on duty all night on the difficult-to-access terrain, do not rule out the possibility that there are other victims under the wreck. On Saturday, this should be recovered with cranes, it said.
Source: Nachrichten
