An aerial view of rescue forces working at the site of a train accident Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, near Bad Aibling, Germany. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, but a spokeswoman for police in Upper Bavaria confirmed to German news agency dpa that there were deaths. Thus, the helicopters airlifted the injured and dead to nearby hospitals.
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“There’s a horrific picture to be seen there”, he said.
One of the trains had “drilled” into the other, he said, leaving a carriage “totally dismantled”.
The trains were partially derailed as they ploughed into each other.
Most recently, a train driver and one passenger were killed when a train hit the trailer of a tractor in western Germany in May, injuring another 20.
Two of the three data recorders on board have been recovered so far, and it was expected that the third would be recovered from the wreckage, said Dobrindt.
Cars of firefighters and ambulances near the scene of the fatal train collision. “We need to look at whether this happened or not”. About eight people were seriously injured and 12 more slightly hurt in a train crash in the southern state of Bavaria on Tuesday, German police said.
Images posted to social media showed the crash site appeared to be in a wooded area next to a canal. In addition, 15 helicopters were used in the search.
The two trains were supposed to pass one another at a station where the track was divided, and a safety system installed on much of Germany’s labyrinthine rail network was supposed to automatically brake trains that end up on the same track heading toward each other, authorities said.
The trains collided at a bend on the Mangfall Valley Railway, a single-track regional rail line between the towns of Rosenheim and Holzkirchen, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.
“Trains are the safest means of transportation”, he said.
Members of emergency services stand next to a crashed train near Bad Aibling in southwestern Germany.
An automatic braking system is meant to alert the driver when a train is approaching a red light.
About 700 emergency personnel from Germany and neighboring Austria were involved in the rescue effort, using about a dozen helicopters.
The trains had been carrying about 100 passengers, mainly commuters. Trains were not crowded on Tuesday due to the local carnival holiday in Bavaria. Two people remain unaccounted for. Routine checks carried out last week found no cause for concern. “We thank the emergency services and employees who have provided assistance as quickly”.
He said prosecutors are investigating the possibility of human error and of a technical fault.
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This is the most serious train accident since 1998 when 101 people were killed near the northern town of Eschede after a high speed ICE train crashed.
