15 killed in Poland train collision

March 04, 2012 01:05 pm | Updated 01:50 pm IST - WARSAW

Rescuers work at the site of the train collision in Szczekociny, southern Poland Sudnay, March 3, 2012. Two trains collided head-on in southern Poland late Saturday, killing several people and injuring around 50 in what appears to be one of the worst rail disasters in the country in recent years, officials said. (AP Photo/Michal Legierski )  POLAND OUT

Rescuers work at the site of the train collision in Szczekociny, southern Poland Sudnay, March 3, 2012. Two trains collided head-on in southern Poland late Saturday, killing several people and injuring around 50 in what appears to be one of the worst rail disasters in the country in recent years, officials said. (AP Photo/Michal Legierski ) POLAND OUT

Polish officials say the death toll in a head-on collision between two trains late Saturday has risen to 15, with 54 people being treated for their injuries in hospitals.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the accident the “most tragic train catastrophe” in Poland in recent years after visiting the site in the early hours of Sunday.

The trains were travelling toward each other on the same track when they collided head-on in the small town of Szczekociny in southern Poland.

One train was travelling from the eastern city of Przemysl to Warsaw, while the other on the wrong track was heading south from Warsaw to Krakow.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation to determine how the Krakow train ended up on the wrong track. The Prime Minister said it was too soon to say what had caused the accident.

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