A high-speed Western Express Service train that connects the cities of Prague and Munich crashed near the Czech Republic-German border killing at least three people and injuring dozens.
According to the Czech transport minister, the express train from Munich heading to Prague went through a stop signal and hit a commuter train bound for the town of Domazlice.
Authorities, however, said it was unclear if this was due to a driver error or a technical glitch. Both drivers were killed, as well as one woman passenger, the BBC reported.
The collision took place after 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) near the village of Milavce, 140km (87 miles) southwest of the Czech capital Prague. Footage posted on social media shows crushed carriages and debris strewn across the tracks.
Rescue teams, helicopters and ambulances were sent to the scene near Milavce, close to the border with Germany, as the tragedy unfolded shortly after 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
Footage posted on social media showed crushed carriages and debris strewn across the tracks. The Czech Republic’s railway inspectorate has launched an investigation into the crash.
Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek said one of the trains failed to stop at a signal and collided with the other train.