By DPA,
Bratislava : At least 13 people were killed Saturday when a local passenger train crashed into a tourist bus in central Slovakia, the police said.
The collision took place at around 9 a.m. (0800 GMT) on an “unprotected” railroad crossing near Polomka village, police spokeswoman Maria Faltaniova told DPA.
The bus came to a halt on the crossing as the driver was shifting gears, Sme daily reported on its web site sme.sk.
The police would not elaborate on the accident’s cause, which is under investigation.
The bus was carrying 36 passengers at the time of the accident, the police spokeswoman said.
According to the Sme report, they were tourists from the western Slovak town of Banovce nad Bebravou, heading to mountainous Polomka for a weekend of skiing.
“All the passengers who survived are injured,” Faltaniova told DPA. At least two passengers with spine injuries were airlifted to a hospital in the county capital of Banska Bystrice, Sme said.