A regional train derailed near Burgrain near Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Friday. Some wagons are lying on their side, five people are dead and at least 30 are injured. The clean-up work is still ongoing. How the accident happened is currently unclear. All important information in the news ticker from FOCUS Online.
The essentials in brief:
The two major churches are planning a memorial service for June 11 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising said on request that further details would be announced in the course of the week. On Monday evening, the Catholic and Protestant churches invited to a joint ecumenical prayer in the parish church Maria Himmelfahrt in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Monday, June 6, 7:58 a.m .: After the train accident that killed five people in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the emergency services interrupted the clean-up work on Sunday evening. It should continue on Monday. The scene of the accident was “secured, cordoned off and guarded,” said a police spokesman. Work will continue on Whit Monday in the morning. In the train accident on Friday near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, five people died and more than 40 were injured. The clean-up work is time-consuming – cranes heave the derailed cars onto a street, then they are dismantled and transported away on low-loaders.
The work will continue to affect road traffic. Traffic is diverted from Autobahn 95 in the direction of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Sindelsdorf (Weilheim-Schongau district). Traffic from the Augsburg region is diverted from the federal highway 17 to Füssen in the direction of the Fernpass. Traffic from Mittenwald/Innsbruck is routed at Krün in the direction of Bundesstraße 11. Access to the Passion Play in nearby Oberammergau is still possible, it said.
3.43 p.m .: After the train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the police were able to clarify the last open cases of missing persons. In the meantime, you know where you are from all the people who have been reported missing since Friday afternoon. This was announced by a spokesman for the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria South on Sunday. As of Saturday afternoon, seven people were still missing.
3:02 p.m .: The first carriage of the crashed train has been removed. It was cut in two in the morning and recently lifted onto a low-loader by a special crane.
Another wagon that was hanging in the embankment could be lifted with two cranes. A substructure made of logs is built for him. Then it should be placed on the B2 federal road and also transported away from there.
Contrary to initial announcements, the locomotive and the first, undamaged wagon are to remain on the tracks for the time being. The police said this was happening for investigative reasons.
11.06 a.m .: According to the police, the identification of the five fatalities is largely complete. Accordingly, there are three women aged 32, 39 and 70 years and, according to previous knowledge, a 51-year-old. The fifth victim recovered on Saturday was a teenage boy, police said on Sunday.
Two of the women who died in the serious train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen are said to be refugees from Ukraine. According to the report, both were staying with host families nearby. One of the women is said to have had her child with her, who is now in the hospital with serious injuries.
According to “Bild am Sonntag”, another woman who was among the 140 passengers on the train is also said to be in mortal danger. Seven to 14 people are still missing. On Sunday, a 250-ton rail crane is to be used to search for other missing persons and to salvage the train. This was brought to Bavaria from the Ruhr area.
There is currently no new information on the cause of the accident, only a collision with another train can be ruled out. According to “Bild am Sonntag”, the focus of the investigations is on checking whether the track bed was still intact.
Sunday, June 5th, 4:20 a.m.: After the victims were recovered from the scene of the train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the helpers are now concentrating on the clean-up work. According to the police, the main road next to the tracks is expected to remain closed on one side until the middle of the week. Traffic in Sindelsdorf (Weilheim-Schongau district) will be diverted from Autobahn 95 in the direction of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
10:46 p.m .: At the accident site in Burgrain, work should continue overnight. Two more wagons are to be salvaged on Sunday. In the meantime, a third and larger crane has arrived at the scene of the accident, reports the “BR”.
8:17 p.m .: The emergency services would not expect any further fatalities under the two wagons that have not yet been raised. The expert from the Technical Relief Agency, Stephen Jaklitsch, said the “BR”. “We knew from the course of the accident that people were probably thrown out in the middle wagon,” he said. This fear does not exist with the other wagons. However, there is only safety when all wagons have been lifted off the track bed.
6.15 p.m .: Around 30 soldiers from Mountain Infantry Brigade 23 were on board the accident train. They make an emergency call, help with rescue work and take care of the injured, said the Hochstaufen barracks in Bad Reichenhall on Saturday. Brigadier General Maik Keller praised the soldiers: Although some were slightly injured, they helped immediately.
4:18 p.m .: In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, attempts are currently being made to lift the second unsupported wagon from the tracks. This is reported by the “BR”. The salvage was difficult, the wagons were severely deformed by the accident, it is said. Another crane is needed, it is still unclear whether this will arrive today or tomorrow.
1:47 p.m .: After the train accident, a fifth victim was found, as the police confirmed. After rescuers were able to lift one of the wagons early Saturday afternoon, the person was found in the rubble. According to information from “Bild” it should be about the missing student. However, this has not yet been confirmed. The responsible chief of police said that he could make “no further statements” about the fifth fatality.
The Chief of Police further said: “The number of injured has increased to 44, some seriously. We do not assume that there will be any further fatalities. We currently estimate between seven and 14 missing persons, but suspect that the number will continue to decrease over time.”
Bahn boss Richard Lutz promised to look at the accidents and draw consequences for the future. “We want the causes to be clarified quickly and clearly.” Transport Minister Volker Wissing also promised “complete clarification. But you can only draw conclusions at the end when all the causes are known.”
1:04 p.m .: A wagon part at the scene of the accident in Farchant could be lifted. This is reported by “BR24” from the scene of the accident. Now it should be checked whether there are missing persons among them. For this reason, the statements by Transport Minister Volker Wissing and Bahn boss Richard Lutz have been delayed.
Reports that a technical defect is responsible for the train accident have not yet been confirmed by the police. A special commission should now clarify what was the cause of the derailment of the train.
12:54 p.m .: The district administrator of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district reported something to the missing people to “Bild”. “Among the missing is a child or young person between the ages of 10 and 15,” says Anton Speer. “We have to lift the wagons as quickly as possible and see what’s underneath.
11:58 a.m .: According to the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), adults and no children died in the serious train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The fatalities are “adult women,” Hermann said on Saturday on Bayerischer Rundfunk. “About seven people” are still missing.
Hermann said it cannot be ruled out that there are still dead people under the overturned wagons. “The wagon, which is completely scrapped, has to be lifted onto the adjacent federal road, but so far this has not been possible.”
The Minister of the Interior expects the railway line to be closed “in any case for a few more days”. Even after the wreck has been removed, the investigative work would first have to be completed, he said in BR. Then larger construction measures are necessary because the overhead line of the route was also destroyed.
10.40 a.m .: After the serious train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, three dead have now been recovered, according to the police. Another victim died on Friday on the way to the hospital. There were no children among the four confirmed dead.
A police spokesman in Rosenheim said in the morning that the confirmed dead were still under one of the overturned wagons – his colleagues at the accident site later corrected this information.
10:27 a.m .: Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder visited the scene of the accident and commented on the serious train accident on Friday. “We are now praying and very much hoping that we will not find any more dead under the wagons. We pray for the relatives and those affected,” said the CSU politician on Saturday morning.
“A big thank you to the emergency services, it’s unbelievable, almost superhuman, what was done there. It’s impressive how the various rescuers worked together, “continued Söder. “We hope that all of the injured will recover. Even those who are not injured may have wounds in their souls. Thanks again to everyone involved, police, fire brigade , Bundeswehr, THW – many, many thanks.”
The Prime Minister also gave an insight into his personal emotional state. “You have an appointment and suddenly such bad news comes. You get a stab in your heart right away, especially when you hear that there are also students inside. You get an immediate shock,” reports Söder. “It breaks my heart every time something like this happens. I am infinitely grateful that so many help, including volunteers who have not slept all night, that is admirable.”
9:41 a.m .: One day after the serious train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, people are still missing. The police spoke on Saturday of a “single-digit number” missing. On Friday evening there was still talk of twelve people. The rescue workers assume 40 injured and three seriously injured. A police spokesman said at the scene of the accident. The day before, there had been talk of around 15 seriously injured people.
The salvage work was difficult. Two attempts to lift the wagons failed. Lifting bags were also used. The wagons were “twisted and twisted,” said the police spokesman. “That makes the rescue so difficult.” A heavy recovery crane, which can lift up to 120 tons and was expected at the accident site in the morning, should help. “You have to go step by step,” said the spokesman.
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