Three dead, many injured as train derails in Germany

RTHK

2 days ago

Three dead, many injured as train derails in Germany
Emergency personnel work at the site where a passenger train derailed, near Biberach, Germany. Photo: Reuters
Three people were killed and others seriously injured when a passenger train derailed in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said in a statement.
There were around 100 people on board when two carriages left the tracks between the towns of Riedlingen and Munderkingen, near the corner of Germany that borders France and Switzerland, police in the city of Stuttgart said.
The train was on a roughly 90km route between Sigmaringen and Ulm. The cause of the crash was under investigation, the police statement said.
German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn said in a statement there were "many injured" and its thoughts were with the victims and their loved ones. It was not clear what had caused the train to derail, it said, adding that it would support the authorities in their investigation.
Tabloid Bild cited emergency workers saying there were 50 injured.
German media reported that a landslide might have caused the accident as severe storms swept through the region, according to weather services.
In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.
He added that he was in close contact with both the interior and transport ministers, and had asked them to "provide the emergency services with all the support they need".
Footage from the scene of the accident showed yellow-and-grey-coloured train carriages lying on their sides, as firefighters and emergency services tried to get to the passengers.
According to local TV station SWR, helicopters arrived shortly after the accident to transport the injured to hospitals in the area, and emergency doctors from nearby hospitals were alerted.
German transport is regularly criticised by passengers for its outdated infrastructure, with travellers facing frequent train delays, and various technical problems.
The government has pledged to invest several hundred billion euros over the next few years, in particular to modernise infrastructure.
In June 2022, a train derailed near a Bavarian Alpine resort in southern Germany, killing four people and injuring dozens.
Germany's deadliest rail accident happened in 1998 when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn derailed in Eschede in Lower Saxony, killing 101 people. (Agencies)