Garmisch-Partenkirchen and its neighboring regions are getting ready to host the G7 summit of world leaders later this month.
The heads of state and government, including US President Joe Biden, will gather in Schloss Elmau, which is about 11 kilometers (seven miles) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, from June 26 to 28.
Police and troops who had been dispatched to prepare and secure the summit site have now been redirected to assist in the rescue effort.
A train carrying’many’ youngsters derailed in the German Alps today, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more.
Around 12.15 p.m., the train was traveling north from the Alps to Munich when several carriages slid off the tracks and three flipped near Burgrain, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Three people have been killed, and 60 others have been injured, with at least 16 of them in critical condition, according to authorities.
According to local daily Bild,’many schoolchildren’ were aboard the train, heading home for the holidays after finishing their final lectures today.
According to local news site BR24, ‘all age groups’ are among the injured, with ‘people being hauled through windows’ to safety.
It was unclear how many individuals were on board the train at the time of the collision or what triggered the collision.
Six rescue helicopters, as well as dozens of ambulances, fire engines, cranes, and other rescue equipment, have been dispatched to the location.
While the rescue is being carried out, the line between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberau, which is located north of the accident scene, has been closed.
Pictures on social media showed people being carried away on stretchers and standing around on the tracks, as well as carriages of a double-decker regional train caught between tree branches and rolling down an embankment.
According to authorities, a large emergency services operation is still ongoing, and the rail route is now closed.
Since June 1, when a ticket allowing Germany-wide travel became available, regional trains have seen increased passenger numbers.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen and its neighboring regions are getting ready to host the G7 summit of world leaders later this month.
The heads of state and government, including US President Joe Biden, will gather in Schloss Elmau, which is about 11 kilometers (seven miles) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, from June 26 to 28.
Police and troops who had been dispatched to prepare and secure the summit site have now been redirected to assist in the rescue effort.
Three helicopters from Austria’s Tyrol region have been scrambled to the scene to provide first aid, according to media reports.
Germany’s deadliest rail accident happened in 1998 when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn derailed in Eschede in Lower Saxony, killing 101 people.
The most recent fatal crash took place on February 14, 2022, when one person was killed and 14 others injured in a collision between two local trains near Munich.
In 2017, a collision between a passenger train and a stationary freight train near the western city of Duesseldorf injured 41 people.
