Van serving as home for homeless people rolls into Vltava River in Prague

In Prague's Smíchov district, on Strakonická Street near the railway bridge, a parked minivan rolled into the Vltava River. Two people were inside at the time — for them, the vehicle served as a permanent home.

According to police spokesman Richard Hrdina, the vehicle had been abandoned long ago and was being used as shelter by homeless people. The likely cause of the incident was a technical fault that released the handbrake, causing the vehicle to roll into the river.

Firefighters and divers were dispatched to the scene, while boats from both the national and municipal police also headed to the railway bridge. Both people inside the van managed to climb out on their own and were unharmed, the police spokesman added.

Firefighters later pulled the vehicle out of the water using special equipment — a truck fitted with a hydraulic crane.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz