Many people were injured after a passenger train collided with a locomotive in Slovakia on Friday.

According to Slovak police statement posted on social media, 59 people were mildly injured, 11 sustained moderate injuries and four severe injuries. 34 people were transferred to nearby hospitals.

Police said that the cause of the accident was under investigation.

Earlier, the TV Markiza broadcaster estimated that at least 50 people were injured.

Site close to an important railway junction

There were around 100 people on the train at the time of the crash, which occurred near the town of Vrutky in the northwestern part of the country.

The train stopped due to a defect and was hit by a locomotive which was coming to its aid, the ministry said.

Police called on drivers to avoid the vicinity of the accident site in the northern Slovak municipality of Strecno.

The site is close to an important railway junction where lines from the country's interior to Bratislava meet those to the neighboring Czech Republic.

sdi/sri (dpa, AP)