The crash occurred in Pardubice, approximately 120 kilometers east of Prague. According to Czech television, the train was carrying around 300 passengers, many of whom were foreigners.
Writing on X, Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the crash “a great disaster” and offered his condolences.
“The rescue work was complicated because the first wagon was deformed. This made access to the injured difficult,” said firefighter Pavel Ber.
Around sixty firefighters were called to the scene, with nine ambulances and two helicopters also deployed.
The train was traveling overnight from Prague to Chop, in western Ukraine.
Transport Minister Martin Krupka has said that an investigation into the cause is underway.
Pardubice was also the site of the Czech Republic’s worst ever railway accident. In 1960, two passenger trains collided, leaving 118 people dead and around 100 injured.
