Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Several dead in a train accident

Garmisch-Partenkirchen At least four people have died in a train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. According to the police, around 30 people were injured in total, 15 of whom were hospitalized.

The regional express was on its way to Munich around noon. According to the authorities, about 140 passengers were on the regional train. According to a spokesman for the federal police, the train was probably derailed – why was initially unclear.

The accident happened around 12:15 p.m. in the Burgrain district of Loisachauen. It cannot be ruled out that many students were on the train at the beginning of the holidays.

Deutsche Bahn also announced in Berlin that no statement could yet be made about the cause of the accident. Emergency services and DB employees are at the scene of the accident. At the same time, the federal company expressed its deepest sympathy to the relatives of the victims and set up a special hotline on 0800-3111111.

Top jobs of the day

Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.

Aerial photos show that the train with double-decker carriages was traveling on a long, single-track curve. There is no switch to be seen. The section of track is elevated on a railway embankment, several wagons slid off the embankment into a small stream. The busy B2 runs right past it.

Serious train accident near Garmisch – several dead

According to the federal police, three wagons overturned. Among the injured were “all age groups”, including children, the spokesman said.

Three of the expected four fatalities have yet to be recovered. These victims were still under an overturned wagon, Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) reported on Friday afternoon at the scene of the accident. “As long as the railway carriage is not raised, we cannot rule out that there are more dead underneath,” he said. A fourth person died on the way to the hospital.

The railway family and I are shocked by the terrible train accident. Our thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. Bahn boss Richard Lutz

Fire brigade, emergency doctors and police were on site with a large contingent. “A full alarm was triggered for the fire brigade and rescue service,” said a spokesman for the integrated control center in the Oberland. Numerous rescue teams also arrived from Munich.

Rescue workers near Burgrain

The rescue of the passengers has now been completed. “As far as we can see, everyone has been rescued from the train,” said a police spokesman on Friday afternoon. Some people were pulled through the windows. The rescue workers would certainly search the carriages of the derailed train again at their leisure. “Working in such an area is not without risk,” said the spokesman.

Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) made his way to the scene of the accident. Prime Minister Markus Söder was shocked and deeply affected. “We mourn with the families of the victims and wish everyone who was injured a speedy recovery,” wrote the CSU boss on Twitter on Friday.

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) also made her way to Garmisch after the end of the conference of interior ministers in Würzburg. There she wanted to express the sympathy of the federal government in view of the terrible train accident, said a spokesman for the ministry.

View of the scene of the accident

The train blocked the route between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberau. Trains from Munich turn early in Oberau. From the Mittenwald direction, the trains turn around early in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it said on Twitter. Replacement transport is planned. It was unclear whether the regional train was particularly full because of the new 9-euro ticket.

For the region on the border with Austria, the accident just before the holidays is also a disaster in terms of traffic. Because of the rescue operation, the federal highway 2, which runs parallel to the train route, was also closed. “At the moment we cannot let the traffic run in the direction of Garmisch-Partenkirchen because the rescue workers are on the road,” said a police spokesman.

The B23 and Autobahn 95 around 20 kilometers from Garmisch were also temporarily closed. There were long traffic jams on the roads in the region.

The closures of the tracks and the federal road could “possibly last into the weekend”, said the police spokesman on Friday afternoon. Because of the beginning of the Pentecost holidays in Bavaria, long traffic jams are to be expected in the popular Upper Bavarian holiday region.


source site-18