After the serious train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which killed five people and injured dozens of others, the Munich II public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation against three people on the initial suspicion of wrongful death. The suspects are employees of Deutsche Bahn, says the spokeswoman for the prosecutor, Andrea Grape.
“Until now, this was a first suspicion,” Grape emphasized. Until the investigation is completed, it remains to be seen whether the railway employees are actually guilty. “As always in such cases, the presumption of innocence applies until the final conclusion of the proceedings.”
The regional train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich derailed shortly after departure on Friday afternoon. Four women and a 14-year-old from the region were killed and about 40 people were injured. An injured woman is still in critical condition. The murdered women included two mothers from Ukraine who had fled to Bavaria with their children. Cleaning work at the accident site continued on Tuesday. The main road next to the accident site is still closed.
Car chassis secured
It is still unclear why the train derailed. “The cause of this accident is under investigation,” Grape said. Apparently, however, rails and chassis are coming into the focus of the research. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) told Bayerischer Rundfunk that the cause of the accident “was being investigated with a focus on technical defects”. Wagon chassis (photo below) have been secured, “and the extent to which individual rails or sleepers should be secured is also being examined. In any case, they are currently being closely examined and measured,” he said on Monday.
According to a report in the newspaper “Die Welt”, Deutsche Bahn plans to carry out renovation work on the track on the accident route. Accordingly, an overnight track position correction and track renewal should take place from 25 June to 9 July between Oberau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Deutsche Bahn said it is currently unable to comment due to the ongoing investigation. “Of course we are doing everything we can to support the investigating authorities in clarifying the cause of the accident,” a railway spokesman said on Tuesday.
A Soko “platoon” leads the investigation
The investigation into the cause of the accident is carried out by a soko “train” at the Weilheim Police Department. On the first day, the Soko numbered up to 70 people, said Stefan Sonntag, the press spokesman for the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria South. More than 40 detectives were also involved in the investigation on Tuesday. An expert from the Federal Bureau of Railway Accident Investigation and an external expert are also involved.
Witnesses, including railway workers and passengers, are currently being questioned. Many have already been spoken. “Try to talk to everyone who was on the train. Of course anyone who was on the train is a potential witness,” Sunday said.
The results of the surveys should later be sorted and evaluated and then merged with the results of the technical studies. “It’s a lengthy and complex process – which hopefully at some point will provide an overall picture with which to reconstruct this accident.” Initial estimates say the investigations could take weeks or months.
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.
