The recent rail accident in northern Hungary “must not be used for panic mongering, but it should not be belittled, either”, the minister of construction and traffic said in connection with a derailment that happened at Magyarkút early on Friday.

In a Facebook post, János Lázár asked for responsible behaviour from his political opponents, and offered his “personal guarantees” that the matter would be given due weight.

The minister called on national railway company MÁV to launch a “thorough, stringent, and honest” investigation into details of the accident, in which two people were injured.

Lázár noted recent photos and video recordings about railway lines damaged by heavy rain in recent days, and said, “these pictures indeed require answers, but those answers should exclusively be supplied by experts rather than traffic amateurs, let alone political celebrities.”

MÁV’s network, with special regard to sidelines, has called for refurbishment for years, Lázár said. Wherever it was possible, the company started renewing the tracks, along with other lines, they applied speed restrictions or introduced replacement buses, he added.

“We can make concessions on speed or the type of vehicle … but we cannot make concessions on the safety of passengers. Therefore, it is false and means to undermine public trust in MÁV in connection with the Magyarkút derailment,” Lázár said.