Two trains crashed head-on in southern Germany early Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead and 40 seriously injured, the German news agency dpa said. The town is approximately 35 miles southeast of Munich.
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The cause of the collision is not yet known. Seventeen had injuries considered serious, he said.
Up to 100 are injured, eight critically, according to police.
The statement did not address the cause of the crash, and officials decline to comment on it.
The trains were carrying about 150 passengers, mainly commuters, and, police said, if it had not been a holiday week, there would have been more. The area was sealed off.
The crash site was a “frightening sight”, said Dobrindt at a press conference, adding that “one train has bored into the other”.
“We cannot imagine that such an accident can happen here”, he said.
Federal police spokesman Rainer Scharf told The Associated Press at the scene of the accident that the ninth body was still being removed from the train.
Helicopters were used to ferry rescue workers to the crash scene, where they worked to free people trapped in the wreckage. It was the biggest crash in the region in years, police said. “We thank the rescue services and staff who have helped so quickly”.
One of the trains derailed in the incident, according to Wessner.
Bernd Rosenbusch, managing director of the Bavarian Oberland Bahn GmbH, which operates the trains, said “the accident was a huge shock to us.
On that line 120 kilometers per hour is allowed”, Dobrindt said of a speed equal to about 74 mph.
He added that there were 215 Bayerish police, 15 Bundespolizei, 180 firemen and 200 rescue services at the scene, with 10 rescue helicopters deployed.
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“They really mobilized all the technical equipment, including helicopters”, said Bavarian Minister of the Interior Joachim Hermann. “It was done very professionally”.
