Germany train crash: Everything we know after derailment kills three and injures dozens

Independent

28-07-2025

At least three people were killed and dozens were seriously injured after a passenger train derailed in the southwest German town of Biberach, authorities said.
Emergency personnel were deployed to the scene, where rescue dogs searched throughout the night for survivors. No more casualties had been found as of Monday morning.
About 50 people are believed to have been injured, of whom 25 were seriously injured, German media reported citing local authorities.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his shock over the crash. He said in a post on X: 'I am in close contact with the Interior Minister and the Transport Minister and have asked them to support the rescue forces with all available means. We mourn the victims. I express my condolences to their relatives.'
The Independent takes a look at everything we know about the German train crash.
What happened and how did the train crash?
Around 100 people were on the train when two carriages derailed in a forested area at around 6:10pm local time, German news agency dpa reported.
The crash happened near the town of Riedlingen, dpa reported, roughly 158km west of Munich. According to reports, there had been a storm in the area shortly before.
'Two carriages of a regional express train derailed on the railway line between Sigmaringen and Ulm early Sunday evening. According to current investigations, three people were killed and other passengers were seriously injured,' Ulm Police said in a statement.
Authorities believe that a landslide is the likely cause, after significant rainfall struck the area shortly before the train passed through.
'There have been heavy rains here, so it cannot be ruled out that the heavy rain and a related landslide accident may have been the cause. However, this is currently the subject of ongoing investigations," said Thomas Strobl, interior minister of the state of Baden-Württemberg.
At least two wagons are believed to have derailed at the site of the crash, which is around 45 kilometres southwest of Ulm.
Police continue to investigate the possible causes of the crash, district fire chief Charlotte Ziller told German outlet Bild.
Who died in the crash?
Three people died, with the number of injured estimated at 50. Around 25 are believed to be injured seriously, emergency services told Bild.
Ms Ziller said the dead include the driver of the train and another employee of Deutsche Bahn, Germany's second largest rail company.
"It was terrible to witness," resident Karl Figler, 76, told the outlet. "Two people were lying dead next to the train. They were carried away in blankets. At the same time, seriously injured people were being cared for."
A collection point for relatives has been set up at a local community centre, and Deutsche Bahn has set up a special hotline for the affected people and their families.
What was the aftermath?
Scores of emergency services personnel swarmed the site to search urgently for survivors, using rescue dogs in case some remained trapped in the rubble.
As of Monday morning, no further survivors or dead bodies had been found in the search.
A number of high-profile figures also rushed to the scene after the news broke on Sunday afternoon.
This included the CEO of Deutsche Bahn Richard Lutz, the minister-president of Baden-Württemberg Winfried Kretschmann, of the GReen Party, and the federal and state transport ministers Patrick Schnieder and Winfried Hermann, of the CDU and Green Party respectively, Bild reported.
Emergency workers continue to work at the site of the crash.