Tragedy: Four killed after car drives into train at rail crossing in Hungary

A devastating rail accident in north-eastern Hungary has claimed the lives of four people, including a child, after a car drove onto a railway crossing despite a red warning signal and collided with a passenger train near Sátoraljaújhely on Thursday afternoon.

Collision at a functioning level crossing

The fatal crash occurred at a level crossing on Route 37, where a passenger train travelling from Szerencs to Sátoraljaújhely struck a car that had entered the tracks moments before the train arrived. According to Hungary’s state railway company, MÁV, the light signal system at the crossing was operating correctly and clearly showed a red warning at the time of the collision.

The train involved was the 16:04 service from Szerencs, identified as train number 5236. Despite emergency braking, the train was unable to avoid hitting the vehicle.

All four occupants of the car died at the scene. Authorities later confirmed that one of the victims was a 10-year-old child, Telex reports. The identities of the victims have not yet been officially released.

Train passengers unharmed

MÁV confirmed that only a small number of passengers were travelling on the train at the time of the accident. None of them were injured. Emergency responders from Hungary’s disaster management authority escorted passengers safely from the train to replacement buses arranged to continue their journeys.

Firefighters and emergency services arrived at the scene shortly after the collision to assist with rescue efforts and to secure the area. Due to the severity of the impact, extensive technical recovery work was required.

Rail traffic disrupted until late evening

Rail traffic between Sárospatak and Sátoraljaújhely was suspended for several hours following the accident. MÁV announced that services on the affected section of the Szerencs–Sátoraljaújhely line were expected to remain halted until late Thursday evening while investigators carried out on-site inspections and recovery operations.

During the disruption, passengers were transported by replacement buses, mainly between Sátoraljaújhely and Sárospatak, and in some cases between Sátoraljaújhely and Szerencs. Travellers were advised to expect significantly longer journey times.

Local authorities react

The mayor of Sátoraljaújhely, Péter Szamosvölgyi, addressed the tragedy in a video shared on social media, confirming the death of a child among the victims. He also noted that the car involved had Nyíregyháza registration plates, though further details about the occupants were not yet known at the time of his statement.

Local officials expressed their condolences to the families of the victims, while MÁV also issued a formal message of sympathy, offering its deepest condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

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