Latest news with #BadenWüerttemberg
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
At Least 3 Dead, Dozens More Injured After Train Derails — and Officials Now Wonder If Rain Played a Part in the Tragedy
Approximately 50 people were injured, with 25 sustaining serious injuries At least three people have died and multiple others are injured after a train carrying around 100 passengers derailed. According to reports from the Associated Press, the AFP and local outlet DW, a regional express train traveling in the German state of Baden-Wüerttemberg partially derailed in a forest area at around 6:10 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 27. The train was headed to Ulm, a German city, when the incident occurred in Riedlingen, a town of about 11,000 people, the outlets reported. Approximately 50 people were injured, with 25 sustaining serious injuries, per the outlets, which cited a regional district fire chief. In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for German train operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed "several fatalities and many injuries." The company added that the train carriages derailed "for reasons that are still unclear." Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, the representative told PEOPLE. "We therefore ask for your understanding that we cannot comment on further details at this time," the company spokesperson added. Storms passed through the area before the accident, and investigators are now looking into whether rain could have been a factor in the derailment. German media reported that a landslide stemming from the severe storms may have even caused the accident, the AFP reported. "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," Thomas Strobl, the interior minister of Baden- Württenberg, said, per the AP. "However, this is currently the subject of ongoing investigations." German media reported that helicopters arrived at the scene shortly after the accident to transport the injured to nearby hospitals. Florian Gebhard, the head of trauma surgery at Ulm University Hospital, where the injured were taken, told German state broadcaster SWR that many involved in the crash "were under shock," per DW. "The injuries [were] of varying severity. Most of them suffered injuries to their extremities, spinal injuries and head injuries," the hospital worker added. Photos taken at the scene of the accident show yellow and gray train cars lying on their sides as firefighters and emergency personnel work to remove passengers. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Train service has been suspended for the line, Deutsche Bahn told PEOPLE. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented on the derailment in a post on X, writing that he was working with local officials to support rescue efforts. "The train accident in the Biberach district shocks me," Merz wrote in German. "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," he added. Read the original article on People
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
At least three people killed after train derails in southern Germany
Three people were killed and several others injured when a regional passenger train derailed in a wooded area in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said. About 100 passengers were onboard the train when the accident occurred at about 6.10 pm local time near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wüerttemberg state. Contacted by AFP, police initially said four people had been killed before correcting their statement to three victims. Authorities declined to elaborate on the number of injured or how seriously hurt they were. The German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed several deaths and numerous injured. Two train carriages had derailed 'for reasons yet unknown', it added. Authorities were currently investigating the circumstances of the accident, the operator said, and traffic had been suspended over a 40km (25-mile) stretch of the route. German media reported that a landslide might have caused the accident as severe storms swept through the region, according to weather services. The passenger train was travelling from the German town of Sigmaringen to the city of Ulm when it derailed in a forested area. In a post on social media, the 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.
