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Driver killed and 76 people injured as two buses collide on Czech motorway

One of the crashed buses at the scene of a crash between two buses on the D2 motorway near Brno, Czech Republic (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
One of the crashed buses at the scene of a crash between two buses on the D2 motorway near Brno, Czech Republic (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)

Two buses have collided on a Czech motorway in the south-east of the country, killing one of the bus drivers and injuring 76 people.

The accident took place near Brno, the second-largest Czech city, on the D2 motorway, the regional rescue service said.

One of the buses hit the back of the other, which was going from the Hungarian capital Budapest to Prague, officials said.

Some of the 14 seriously injured people were transported by helicopters to nearby hospitals, the service said.

Firefighters and police officers at the scene of a crash between two buses on the D2 motorway near Brno, Czech Republic
Firefighters and police officers at the scene of a crash between two buses on the D2 motorway near Brno, Czech Republic (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)

Police said the motorway that links the Czech Republic with the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, had to be closed in both directions for several hours.

Long lines of traffic formed on the motorway, causing delays.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is now under way.