News

The Czech rescue services say people of 25 nationalities were travelling on two buses involved in a fatal crash on the D2 motorway near Brno on Monday. There were no Czechs on either bus, they said. The driver of one of them, a foreigner with residence in Czechia, was killed in the collision.

Seventy-six people were hurt, with 14 suffering serious injuries. Two patients have undergone operations; the rest are in a stable condition or have been released from hospital.

Virtually the whole of Czechia is currently suffering from drought, according to official data. Ninety-eight percent of the country is currently hit by one of five levels of drought alert, with the most affected regions being central and northeast Moravia. On Sunday the two highest drought alert levels were in place on 35 percent of Czechia.

Experts say drought levels have fallen in some parts of Bohemia in the last week. This pattern should be followed in Moravia in the coming week, they say.

President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva began their two-day visit to South Bohemia on Tuesday. They plan to meet with regional governor Martin Kuba, see demonstrations of the work of the Water Rescue Service and the South Bohemian Rescue Dog Brigade, and visit the airport and the Koh-i-noor Hardtmuth company factory in České Budějovice, the castle and revolving auditorium in Český Krumlov, as well as the amphitheater in Hořice na Šumavě where Easter passion plays are performed.

This is Mr Pavel's first official visit to the South Bohemian region since his election.

Tuesday is expected to be mostly sunny, turning more overcast towards the late afternoon. Daytime temperatures should range between 19 and 27 degrees Celsius.