Icy conditions cause over 150 accidents in South Moravia

Icy conditions seriously complicated traffic in South Moravia on Friday. Traffic police and firefighters dealt with more than 150 traffic accidents and around 20 additional traffic-related incidents by midday and problems continued to pile up in the afternoon hours, police spokesman Bohumil Malášek told the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

South Moravian emergency services said they had activated a trauma plan because of the high number of crashes and injuries. Dozens of pedestrians were injured after slipping on icy pavements.

Public transport in Brno and regional bus services were delayed, with some routes suspended entirely. Long traffic jams formed on motorways as a result of accidents, and some road sections were completely closed while the aftermath was being cleared.

The D1 motorway was closed for about four hours near Vyškov in the direction of Brno.

Meteorologists have issued an ice warning for the eastern part of the country valid up until Saturday morning.