Austria: Trains collide near Vienna, about a dozen injured

BERLIN – Two passenger trains collided near a station north of Austria’s capital Friday, injuring several people, authorities said.

The two regional trains collided near the station in Kritzendorf, about 18.2 kilometres (11.3 miles) north of Vienna, a little before 6 p.m. (1700 GMT). Two cars turned over, and a third was leaning to one side.

The point of impact appeared to be the sides of both trains, which then derailed.

The Red Cross and Austria’s federal railway said eight people were slightly hurt and another four more seriously injured, the Austrian Press Agency reported. A rescue helicopter took one person to a Vienna hospital with head injuries.

Austrian media, citing emergency services, had earlier put the number of injured at between 15 and 20. Another 30 to 50 passengers on the trains were unharmed.

“We suspect that the cause is to be found in human error, not in a technical defect, but that will be verified in the coming days,” Infrastructure Minister Norbert Hofer said.

The trains were evacuated by shortly after 7.30 p.m., with passengers climbing or pulled out through the windows.