At least 20 people were injured when a commuter service collided with a freight train, according to the Health Ministry
At least 20 people were injured when two trains collided in Croatia on Saturday, the country’s Health Ministry has said.
The incident occurred shortly after 10am between the Sveti Ivan Zabno and Gradec railway stations, around 60km east of the Croatian capital, Zagreb. A passenger train carrying 27 people collided with a freight train, leaving six people seriously injured and 14 others with minor injuries.
The victims were taken to hospitals in Bjelovar and Koprivnica, with some later transferred to medical facilities in Zagreb. A young woman was placed in intensive care but remained in stable condition.
Videos posted online show the wreckage, with passengers sitting and standing beside the railway. The passenger train appears heavily damaged, with its roof buckled and exterior panels torn away. Red freight wagons and a locomotive can be seen ahead.
🇭🇷Passenger and freight train collide near Zagreb, Croatia. 20 injured. August 8, 2026 📍 Near Skrinjari — 60km east of Zagreb 6 severely injured. 14 minor injuries. 28 people were on board Several carriages severely damaged, railway line closed. Cause under investigation. pic.twitter.com/jjUoepcTSS
One photo shows part of the passenger train bent at a sharp angle near the point of impact, with a shattered cab windscreen and twisted handrails.
On August 8, 2026, at around 10:05 a.m. local time, a freight train and a passenger train collided between the stations of Sveti Ivan Žabno and Gradec, near Križevci, Croatia, on the Zagreb–Bjelovar line. There were about 20 passengers on the passenger train, which had left… pic.twitter.com/PETp74Hse0
Koprivnica-Krizevci County Prefect Tomislav Golubic expressed gratitude to the 50 firefighters involved in the operation, as well as to a civilian who assisted with the rescue effort.
“I would especially like to thank a local man for arriving first at the scene with his personal forklift, making it easier for emergency services to tend to the injured,” Golubic said.
U Hrvatskoj je juče došlo do sudara putničkog i teretnog voza. Dvadeset ljudi je povređeno, od kojih troje kritično, uključujući i mašinovođu putničkog voza. Prema nezvaničnim informacijama teretni voz HŽ Karga prošao je kroz signal za zabranu i udario u putnički voz,prenosi HRT. pic.twitter.com/TYyGWoRtNF
Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved, who later visited the site, praised emergency workers for their response. He said preliminary information indicated that either a technical failure or human error could have caused the crash but stressed that the final determination should be left to the competent authorities.
The accident came five days after a passenger train struck a trailer carrying hay at a level crossing in Tczew County, northern Poland. Around 500 people were reportedly on board at the time. Polish State Railways said the tractor driver had ignored warning signals and was found to be intoxicated.
