One dead after freight train crash on bridge sends carriages tumbling onto the street
One person has died after two freight trains crashed on a railway bridge in the German city of Munich, sending two carriages plunging off the bridge and onto the street below
One person has died after two freight trains crashed on a railway bridge in Germany, officials said.
The crash, which occurred overnight in Munich's northern district of Milbertshofen, sent two carriages plunging off the bridge and onto the street below. Emergency services were called at 1.40am CEST (12.40am BST) on Saturday, with around 60 first responders dispatched to the scene, a fire service spokesperson said.
The carriages fell about 16 feet from the bridge, the German news agency dpa reported. Munich police said the street beneath the bridge has been closed and urged drivers to avoid the area while recovery and clearing operations were being carried out.
The cause of the collision was not immediately known.
The derailed carriages were not carrying any cargo and there was no threat to public safety, according to dpa. The victim's identity has not been publicly released, and there were no reports of any other injuries in the crash.
Schleissheimer Strasse was closed in both directions following the incident, German newspaper Bild reported. A police spokesperson said: "The recovery work will continue well into Saturday, perhaps even into Sunday."
The crash has not affected passenger services as the affected line is used only by freight trains, according to a spokesperson for Germany’s national railway company Deutsche Bahn.
It came less than eight hours after a fatal train crash in England. Two passenger trains collided near Bedford at around 5.15pm BST on Friday, leaving one driver dead and 28 people hospitalised.
Speaking at a press conference near the scene on Saturday, British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi said: "Tragically, the driver of one of the trains died in the collision.
"His family have been informed and our deepest condolences are with them, his friends, and his colleagues at East Midlands Railway. The driver’s family, as you would expect, are being supported by specially trained officers at this difficult time.
"Over 80 people were treated at hospital last night. As of this morning, 28 remain in hospital, and nine are in a critical condition."
Paul Gates, strategic commander at the East of England Ambulance Service, added that 11 people suffered "very serious injuries" and a further 32 sustained "serious injuries".