Military

DATE=5/8/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=HUNGARY/CRASH (S-O)

NUMBER=2-302998

BYLINE=STEFAN BOS

DATELINE=BUDAPEST

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: In Hungary, at least 30 people are dead after a German tour bus collided with a train. Stefan Bos in Budapest has more on the crash, which occurred on the shores of Lake Balaton, about 100-kilometers southwest of the Hungarian capital.

TEXT: Hungarian police say the tourist bus was crossing the railway line near the popular resort town of Siofok when the train hit it.

Emergency service officials say the double-decker bus was cut in half, and one of its sections was pushed for about 150 meters by the train.

Rescue workers searched for survivors beneath the wreckage.

The Hungarian National Railway company, M-A-V, said it appears the bus driver ignored a warning sign. It has been suggested he may have been blinded by the sun.

The incident has raised new questions about the safety of railways and roads around Lake Balaton. The lake is the largest in Central Europe, and attracts visitors from throughout Hungary, and surrounding countries.

This is the second major accident in the region in less than a year. Last year, 19 Polish pilgrims were killed in another bus accident.

Hungary's prime minister, Peter Medgyessy, has called for an investigation into the accident. (SIGNED)

NEB/SB/KL/TW/RAE