- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 28 Jul 2025 07:28 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Germany Train Derailment: At least three individuals were killed and others seriously injured after a local passenger train derailed in south-western Germany on Sunday night. The disaster occurred near Riedlingen, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and resulted in a major emergency response. According to police in Stuttgart, around 100 people were on board the train when two carriages came off the tracks in a forested area between Riedlingen and Munderkingen, close to Germany’s borders with France and Switzerland. The derailment happened around 6:10 p.m. local time (1610 GMT).
Images from the scene depicted carriages overturned on their sides, with rescue workers scrambling over the wreckage to access trapped passengers. The authorities have not yet given a confirmed total of the injured, but several individuals were seriously injured. “There have been heavy rains here, so it cannot be ruled out that the heavy rain and a related landslide accident may have been the cause,” said Thomas Strobl, Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg. “However, this is currently the subject of ongoing investigations.”
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The train was operating on a 90-kilometre regional route between Ulm and Sigmaringen when the accident happened. The reason behind the derailment is still being investigated. Federal and regional police were assisted by firefighters and emergency responders in attending to the scene quickly. German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn said it was fully cooperating with investigators and expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” the company stated.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was shocked by the tragedy and stated that he was in close touch with senior ministers to make sure all the resources available were taken to the location. “The train accident in the Biberach district shocks me,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “We mourn the victims. I express my condolences to their relatives,” he added. Merz affirmed that Interior Minister Strobl and Transport Minister Volker Wissing were working closely with rescue workers and local authorities on the ground.
The derailment took place in a difficult terrain marked by hills and dense forests, and thereby, rescue efforts were complicated. Rescue teams labored late into the night to secure the wreckage and evacuate the injured passengers. Search-and-rescue canines were also sent in to ensure there were no people trapped under the carriages.