Czech train crash kills seven

Seven people have died and at least 70 have been injured in a train crash in the Czech Republic.

The incident happened when the high speed express train derailed after it crashed into a collapsed bridge.

The EuroCity train, from the Polish city of Krakow to Prague, crashed at about 140 km per hour (87 mph) in Studenka, near the northeastern border with Poland.

Officials said six bodies were found in the wreckage and the seventh person died in hospital. A rescue services spokesman said 13 people were seriously hurt.

"It looks terrible there," said Jan Kucera of the Railway Inspectors. "The carriages are derailed and passengers are trapped."

Rescuers said the bridge, which was being rebuilt, apparently collapsed while the train was approaching or passing underneath.

The Czech and Polish prime ministers, Mirek Topolanek and Donald Tusk, visited the scene to observe rescue efforts.

"There were many Poles on the train ... and unfortunately, apparently at least one of the dead is Polish," Topolanek said on Czech television.

The nationalities of the other six people killed were not clear.

Fire brigade duty officer David Pridal said: "There are many injured. There are some dead, but we do not have precise numbers, because our people are rather devoting time to rescue those alive."

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