Two killed, two dozen injured in train collision in Karlovy Vary region

At least two people are reported to have died and more than two dozen were injured in a head-on train collision in the Karlovy Vary region near the Czech-German border on Tuesday afternoon.

The trains, one of which was travelling from Karlovy Vary to Johanngeorgenstadt in Germany, the other in the opposite direction,  collided in wooded, uneven  terrain near the town of Pernink, which made rescue work difficult, the ctk news agency reports. Both Czech and German rescue crews were at the scene.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals and given first aid at the scene of the accident.

Both train drivers are reported to have been injured. One of them was detained by the police.

Preliminary reports suggest human error may have been to blame.