Passenger train derails in Upper Swabia – Several dead and injured

A passenger train derailed near Riedlingen in southeastern Baden-Württemberg. Three people were killed in the accident on Sunday evening, a police spokesperson at the scene said. There were also mid-double-digit injuries, although an exact number was not given. A press release stated that several passengers were seriously injured. The news agency dpa and the Schwäbische Zeitung both reported at least 34 injured, citing emergency responders.

According to initial findings, around 100 people were on board the RE 55 regional express train, which was en route from Sigmaringen to Ulm. At least two carriages of the train derailed.

At least four rescue helicopters were deployed to the scene of the accident. Units of the Bavarian Red Cross are also providing support in the neighboring state.

Video footage from the scene shows firefighters and rescue personnel working on the derailed carriages of the yellow and white train to gain access to the passengers. Loud screaming can also be heard. Fallen trees can also be seen at the scene.

Later in the evening, emergency personnel prepared to remove the derailed wagons from the tracks. All injured people had been treated, said Charlotte Ziller, the district fire chief of the Biberach district, at the scene. They are now working with the Federal Agency for Technical Relief to expedite the recovery of the wagons. The work will continue until Monday, as the wagons are heavy and the accident site is impassable.

Before the accident, there had been a storm in the region. Whether the accident is related to this is not yet conclusively known. However, a possible connection is being investigated. "There was heavy rainfall here, so we cannot rule out the possibility that the heavy rain and the associated landslide were also a cause," said Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) at the scene of the accident. This is now the subject of ongoing investigations. The Schwäbische Zeitung reports, citing experts at the scene of the accident, that the front of the train probably derailed to the left and crashed into trees at a height of up to five meters.

Deutsche Bahn initially did not comment further on the accident, but announced a press release for this evening. Its subsidiary DB Regio BW operates the Donau-Ostalb regional train network. This includes the RE 55 line, which runs hourly to every two hours. On its website, the company announced that rail service between Munderkingen and Sigmaringen had been suspended. "The reason for this is a train derailment on the line." No information was initially available on the duration of the closure. Passengers traveling between Ulm and Munderkingen should use trains operated by the railway company SWEG, it said.

Baden-Württemberg's Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann (Green Party) addressed the victims' families. "My deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims. I wish all those injured a speedy and full recovery," Kretschmann said in a statement. The full extent of the disaster is not yet fully understood. However, the Minister-President promised that everything will be done to support the rescue services and fully investigate the causes of the accident. "I would like to thank all emergency services and helpers who are tirelessly working to care for those affected."

Chancellor Friedrich Merz also expressed his dismay at the accident. "We mourn the victims. I express my condolences to their families," the CDU politician wrote on Platform X. "I am in close contact with the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Transport and have asked them to support the rescue workers with all means at their disposal," Merz added.