Three injured after trains collide in Romania’s southern Giurgiu county

Two locomotives collided head-on on Tuesday night between the towns of Toporu and Chiriacu in Giurgiu County. As a result of the railway accident, three men were injured, and two of them, aged 55 and 58, were transported to the hospital.

The railway accident occurred at 3:15 nearly one kilometer from Toporu Station and involved two locomotives operated by private companies.

Firefighters from the Giurgiu County and Teleorman County Emergency Situations Inspectorates (ISU) intervened at the scene with two fire trucks, a rescue vehicle, two SMURD ambulances, and two ambulances. The crews found three men in the locomotives, conscious and cooperative. Two of them were taken by the Mobile Emergency Service (SAJ) and transported to the Giurgiu Emergency Reception Unit. Another 57-year-old man received medical care at the scene and refused transportation to the hospital for further investigation, according to official sources cited by Euronews Romania.

The railway tracks were not affected, and only the two locomotives were damaged.

"[…] from the initial investigations, it was found that an isolated locomotive traveling from Giurgiu to Videle collided head-on with another isolated locomotive traveling from Videle to Giurgiu at kilometer 31+100. As a result of the collision, the two locomotive engineers were injured and transported to the hospital for medical treatment. Both men were tested with a breathalyzer, and one of them had a result of 0.64 mg/l of pure alcohol in his breath, while the other had a negative result. The investigations are ongoing under the coordination of a prosecutor from the Giurgiu Court Prosecutor's Office," said representatives of the Giurgiu County Police.

“According to the initial information provided by the railway personnel at the scene, one of the engineers did not obey the stop signal in the Toporu station area, overshot a switch, and collided head-on with the other locomotive coming from Giurgiu. The two private locomotives are damaged but not derailed, and the engineers have been transported to the hospital," said representatives of the Romanian Railways (CFR).

Passenger trains on the Videle-Giurgiu line had to wait for the reopening of the line.

Laurențiu Dumitru, the general director of the Railway Investigation Agency (AGIFER) told Euronews that one locomotive passed a signal indicating a stop and that investigations are still ongoing. “It is clearly a human fault and a violation of regulations. Such situations have been occurring more frequently lately, but I cannot provide you with statistics at this time,” he said.