Police Investigation into Last Year's Train Accident in Kosice Region Continues

Jablonov nad Turnou, 27 April (TASR) - The police are continuing to investigate last year's train collision near the village of Jablonov nad Turnou in Kosice region, while both national passenger carrier ZSSK and the Transport Ministry have concluded their internal investigations, determining that the cause of the accident was that one of the express trains failed to obey a 'Stop' signal. The collision between two express trains occurred in front of a tunnel near the village of Jablonov nad Turnou in mid-October of last year. The trains collided on a section where double tracks merge into a single line. According to the final investigation report published by the Transport Ministry, the incident resulted in 27 serious and 71 minor injuries. The property damage amounted to nearly €1.5 million. No charges have been filed against any specific individual to date. "An investigator from the Kosice criminal police is continuing to carry out the necessary procedural steps aimed at properly clarifying this incident. Given the ongoing investigation and to avoid hindering or complicating this, it isn't possible to provide further or more detailed information at this time," regional police spokesperson Jana Illesova told TASR. Both the Transport Ministry and ZSSK have already concluded their internal investigations. The national carrier told TASR that it has information indicating that a YouTube video was playing on the train driver's mobile device at the time of the incident. ZSSK also noted that both the internal investigation and the ministry's technical investigation identified the failure to obey a 'Stop' signal as the immediate cause of the accident, which constitutes a violation of operating regulations. "In cases in which a technical investigation has confirmed that a train driver has violated operating regulations, disciplinary action has been taken and the employment contract terminated. In such situations, ZSSK strictly observes the results of official investigations and applicable legislation," stated the ZSSK communications department. am/df