At least five dead and more than 30 injured when a train derailed in southern Germany | International

At least five people have died this Friday and more than 30 have been injured in a train accident in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Upper Bavaria, in southern Germany, police and Bavarian authorities have reported. At least 15 are in serious condition. The convoy was traveling to Munich, the regional capital, with about 60 people on board, a police spokesman said. Around 12:15 p.m., it derailed at the height of Burgrain, 109 kilometers south of Munich, for reasons still unknown, said the spokesman for the police headquarters in the area, Stefan Sonntag. Three carriages slid down an embankment in an area north of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski resort.

Some fifteen people are receiving hospital care, while the first slightly injured have been transferred to a nearby building that also houses their families. Among the passengers were a large number of students preparing to enjoy a long weekend for the Pentecost festivities. Authorities have not provided the identities of the dead or specified whether the driver is among the victims. The Prosecutor’s Office and the Police have launched an investigation into the causes of the accident.

In the images spread through social networks, at least three wagons of a double-decker regional train can be seen overturned on an embankment next to the tracks. Other photos show evacuees on stretchers or standing on the tracks.

The rescue teams moved to the site of the derailment after being alerted by phone by residents of the area. Shortly after, more than 500 people arrived and helped passengers out of the train through the windows. The railway line has been cut and the federal highways that run near the railway lines have been completely closed.

“Our deepest condolences to the families of the fatal victims; I wish you a lot of strength”, said the president of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner, briefly appearing before the press in Munich. Aigner wished the injured a speedy recovery and thanked the many emergency services displaced.

German regional trains have experienced an increase in passengers since this Wednesday, June 1, when a subscription of nine euros per month came into force that allows them to be used, as well as the metro and the bus, throughout the country. It is a measure to reduce dependence on Russian hydrocarbons and boost the green transformation.

The deadliest rail accident in Germany occurred in 1998, when a high-speed train derailed in Eschede, Lower Saxony. 101 people died. The most recent took place on February 14: a collision between two trains near Munich in which one person died and 14 were injured.

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