Two local trains collided head-on near Uebelbach, Austria, on May 6, 2015, killing one of the drivers -© APA/AFP
VIENNA: Two local trains collided head-on in Austria on Wednesday, killing one of the drivers and injuring eight people, including two who were in a critical condition, emergency services said.
The accident, near the southern city of Graz, occurred after one of the trains apparently failed to observe a stop signal, said Helmut Wittmann, chairman of local train operator Steiermaerkische Landesbahnen.
“Today we lost one of our colleagues,” the Austria Press Agency quoted him as saying.
The driver had remained stuck inside his cabin after the crash and died at the scene after “fighting for his life”, the Red Cross said.
The other driver and a 60-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries and were airlifted to hospital.
Regional authorities have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter, APA reported.
Six other passengers sustained injuries in the accident, which took place near the train station of the village of Waldstein, 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Graz, at around 10:20 am (08:20 GMT).
“The damage is considerable so we think the trains were travelling at average speed for this stretch of track. We assume though that the brakes were applied,” a fire brigade spokesman told AFP. -AFP