Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Investigators assess the damage following a deadly collision near the Serbian city of Niš

A train has slammed into a bus carrying school students in southern Serbia, cutting it in half and killing five people, police say.

Dozens of people were injured and two teenagers were fighting for their lives after the accident, which happened early on Friday near the city of Nis.

A child and two adults were killed instantly, while two other adults died later in hospital, reports said.

Images from the scene showed one of the train's carriages had derailed.

All the casualties in Friday's accident were reportedly on board the bus, which was left twisted and wrecked following the impact at the railway crossing.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The wreckage of the bus was removed from the site at the village of Donje Međurovo

The bus was carrying passengers from surrounding villages to the centre of Nis at the time.

Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar said 13 of the injured were in a critical condition, including eight teenagers. A boy and girl aged 16 had life-threatening injuries, he said.

One eyewitness, Stevan Jocic, told reporters that he "heard a big bang" and immediately "knew it was bad", Serbian daily Kurir reported.

"The bus was cut down the middle, with passengers inside... high school kids. It was horrific," he said.

Police and ambulance crews reportedly arrived quickly at the scene.

The cause of the collision was unclear, but police said early indications suggested the bus driver was at fault.</s>BELGRADE, Serbia — A train slammed into a bus carrying mostly high school students on Friday in southern Serbia, killing five people and injuring at least 26, authorities said.

The collision took place around 0630GMT (1:30 a.m. EST) Friday near the city of Nis, police said.

Initially, police said that three people were killed and 22 injured. But authorities later confirmed that two more people died in a hospital and that at least 26 people were injured.

Doctors in Nis said some of the children have life-threatening injuries. Relatives have gathered at the hospital awaiting information.

The Serbian state TV says that the bus was carrying local children to school. A video from the scene shows that the bus was practically cut in half from the impact while the train partly slid off the tracks.

“When I heard a big bang I knew it was bad,” said a witness, Stevan Jocic. “The bus was cut down the middle, passengers inside, all high school kids. It was horrific.”</s>Serbian authorities say a train has crashed into a bus carrying mostly high-school students near the southern city of Nis, killing five people.

At least 30 people were injured in the crash, which took place early on December 21.

Police said it appeared the bus driver's "oversight" was to blame.

Doctors in Nis said two of the victims had life-threatening injuries.

Serbian state TV said that the bus was carrying local children to school.

A video from the scene shows that the bus was nearly cut in half by the impact, while the train partly derailed.</s>BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A train slammed into a bus carrying mostly high school students in southern Serbia Friday, killing five people and injuring 30, authorities said.

The collision took place around 7:30 a.m. in foggy weather on a railway crossing near the city of Nis, police said.

They said that it appears the bus driver's "oversight" most likely caused the crash.

Initially, police said that three people were killed and 22 injured. But authorities later confirmed that two more people died in a hospital and raised the number injured.

Doctors in Nis said two 16-year-olds have life-threatening injuries. Relatives have gathered at the hospital awaiting information.

Serbian state TV says that the bus was carrying local children to school. A video from the scene shows that the bus was practically cut in half by the impact, while the train partly slid off the tracks.

"When I heard a big bang I knew it was bad," said a witness, Stevan Jocic. "The bus was cut down the middle, passengers inside, all high school kids. It was horrific."</s>BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - A train has slammed into a bus in southern Serbia killing three people and injuring 22.

Serbian police say that the collision took place around 0630GMT (1:30 a.m. EST) Friday near the city of Nis. The statement says that the injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital.

Doctors say six of the injured have been seriously hurt.

The Serbian state TV says that the bus was carrying local children to school. A video from the scene shows that the bus was practically cut in half from the impact while the train partly slid off the tracks.</s>The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A train slammed into a bus carrying mostly high school students on Friday in southern Serbia, killing five people and injuring at least 26, authorities said.

The collision took place around 0630GMT (1:30 a.m. EST) Friday near the city of Nis, police said.

Initially, police said that three people were killed and 22 injured. But authorities later confirmed that two more people died in a hospital and that at least 26 people were injured.

Doctors in Nis said some of the children have life-threatening injuries. Relatives have gathered at the hospital awaiting information.

The Serbian state TV says that the bus was carrying local children to school. A video from the scene shows that the bus was practically cut in half from the impact while the train partly slid off the tracks.

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“When I heard a big bang I knew it was bad,” said a witness, Stevan Jocic. “The bus was cut down the middle, passengers inside, all high school kids. It was horrific.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.</s>A train has slammed into a bus in southern Serbia, killing three people and injuring 22, AP reported. The collision took place around 6:30am GMT on Friday near the city of Nis, Serbian police say. The injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital, according to the statement. Doctors say six of the casualties have been seriously hurt. Serbian state TV says that the bus was carrying local children to school. A video from the scene shows that the vehicle was cut in half from the impact, while the train partly slid off the tracks.</s>Train in Serbia Hits Bus Full of Students, Killing at Least Five

(Bloomberg) -- A train collided with a bus carrying students in southern Serbia, killing at least five people and injuring 27, the Interior Ministry said.

The collision took place near the southern city of Nis on Friday. Images from the scene showed that the train cut the bus in half before partially derailing. Police are investigating.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gordana Filipovic in Belgrade at gfilipovic@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Andras Gergely</s>Five people have been killed and more than two dozen injured after a train ploughed through a bus in southern Serbia, police said on Friday.

The bus, which was carrying passengers including school pupils, was cut in half after being hit on a railroad crossing outside the southern city of Nis at around 730am (0630 GMT).

"Five people were killed and 27 were injured," a police spokeswoman told AFP.

Three people, including one minor, died instantly while two others passed away in a hospital in Nis, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Ten of the injured are in a "critical" condition, RTS reported.

The bus was carrying passengers from surrounding villages to Nis, local media reported.

The railway crossing where the crash occurred is near Nis, Serbia's third-largest city, and is secured just by a warning sign, not ramps and signalization, residents said.

The force of the impact tore the bus open and the death toll is likely to climb due to the compound injuries suffered by several passengers, RTS quoted a doctor in Nis as saying.

Serbia ranks poorly in traffic safety among European countries, with the number of fatalities per 100,000 vehicles near double the continental average - 34.5 to 19.

The main contributing factor is a general lack of driving discipline, including drunk driving, speeding and disregard for rules.

Additionally, much of the road network is in poor condition and the average age of cars in the country is 13-14 years and increasing, according to police figures.</s>The accident happened at Donje Medjurovo near Nis, Serbia's third-largest city, at a railway crossing secured only by a warning sign, with no ramps or signals.

The force of the impact tore the bus into two parts and left the two-coach local train partially derailed. Most of the passengers were high-school students on their way to classes, reports said.

A senior police official, Vladimir Rebic, told state TV station RTS that the bus driver apparently failed to stop and notice the oncoming train.

The death toll may rise due to the serious injuries suffered by several passengers, RTS quoted a doctor in Nis as saying.

Serbia ranks poorly in traffic safety among European countries, with the number of fatalities per 100,000 vehicles near double the continental average - 34.5 to 19.
Five people are killed and dozens injured when a train slams into a bus carrying school students in Niš, Serbia.