2 cargo trains collide on bridge in Munich, carriages tumble on road below

A cargo train collision on a bridge in Munich resulted in the death of one person and caused two wagons to derail, with the damaged carriages plunging onto the road below. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

In Short

• Police said the cause of the overnight incident remains under investigation
• Around 60 firefighters and rescue workers were deployed in Milbertshofen
• Two derailed wagons fell from the railway structure onto the road

One person was killed after two cargo trains collided on a bridge in Germany’s Munich in the early hours of Saturday, causing two wagons to derail and plunge onto the road below, local police said. According to the police spokesperson in the southern German city, the cause of the incident is under investigation.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident in Munich's northern district of Milbertshofen at around 1.40 am local time on Friday. Approximately 60 emergency personnel, including firefighters and rescue teams, were deployed to the scene, according to a fire department spokesperson.

The accident came just hours after a separate rail collision in the UK, in which a train driver was killed and dozens of passengers were injured after two commuter trains collided about 100 km north of London on Friday afternoon.

Operator East Midlands Railway confirmed on Saturday that the driver of one of the London-bound services had died in the crash. The East of England Ambulance Service said one person died at the scene, while 11 people suffered critical injuries, 22 sustained serious injuries and 56 others were treated for minor injuries.

Videos shared on social media appeared to show the front of one train embedded in the rear of another, though the carriages remained upright on the tracks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed condolences to the victim's family and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

The cause of the crash is yet to be determined, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander saying an investigation has been launched. A passenger, doctor Peter Knapp, who was on board one of the trains, described a "sudden crash" and said one carriage had derailed, adding that he had suffered minor injuries.

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