After the serious train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen near the Tyrolean border with at least four deaths on Friday, investigations and rescue work at the accident site will continue on Saturday. On Friday afternoon, several regional train cars on their way to Munich derailed in the Burgrain district. Several of the train’s double-decker buses overturned, skidded off a slope and came to a stop right next to a main road. The Tyrolean emergency services also provide on-site support. The cause of the accident was still unclear the next day.
At least four of the 140 or so people on the train were killed. There were also about 30 injured, including several children. As the APA announced, some victims suffered serious injuries and required surgery. Three bodies were found under the train and a fourth person died on the way to hospital.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) did not rule out the possibility that other victims could be found under the overturned wagons. On Friday afternoon he got an idea of the situation on the ground in Upper Bavaria and told Bayerischer Rundfunk in the evening that several people were still missing. But it can also be the seriously injured in the clinics, the police has yet to determine.
Tyrolean troops supported the rescue operation
In addition to the German armed forces, several helicopters and rescue workers from Tyrol were also deployed and many other emergency services were briefly on alert in the afternoon. Tyrolean governor Günther Platter (ÖVP) was deeply shocked by the accident in neighboring Bavaria on Friday and thanked the emergency services, who had done “incredibly”. “I have great respect for how well the cross-border rescue chain worked,” Platter said.
He was in contact with the Bavarian Interior Minister Herrmann on Friday afternoon and offered him further support. The German state had also requested extra bed capacities in the Innsbruck clinic, but these were ultimately not needed, according to the state of Tyrol.
A lengthy investigation into the cause of the accident is expected
In addition to rescuing the victims and treating the injured, the focus is now on investigating the cause of the accident. A police spokesman said they are preparing for “prolonged investigations”. According to Bavarian Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), no second train or other vehicle was involved in the accident. It must be “assumed that a technical cause, whether on the vehicle or on the track, is the cause”. According to a railway spokesman, the route was equipped with electronic locks and modern safety technology.
The district office in Garmisch-Partenkirchen announced that by the end of the salvage works, car traffic in the region is also likely to become disabled by mid-next week. Traffic from Autobahn 95 will be extensively diverted, with the highway to the south remaining closed.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
