Preliminary findings from German authorities indicate that a fatal train derailment near Biberach an der Riß in Baden-Württemberg on Sunday was likely precipitated by a landslide triggered by exceptionally heavy rainfall, according to Euronews.
The incident resulted in the deaths of three individuals and left approximately fifty people injured. According to regional officials, those killed included the train’s driver and an employee of the rail company. Of the fifty reported injuries, around half were described as serious.
Ten casualties required urgent airlifting by helicopter for specialised treatment at Ulm University Hospital.
The accident occurred during the evening hours on a stretch of track traversing a wooded area between Riedlingen and Munderkingen, situated about 158 kilometres west of Munich. The train service, originating in Sigmaringen and bound for Ulm, was carrying about one hundred passengers when at least two carriages left the rails.
Local police provided a clear initial assessment linking the derailment directly to the severe weather conditions impacting Baden-Württemberg earlier that evening.
The heavy rain caused a sewer to overflow in the area of the accident. The water triggered a landslide from the surrounding bushes in the direction of the track which, in turn, caused the derailment.
Investigators established that the train struck a substantial mass of earth that had collapsed onto the tracks.
Rescue operations, involving teams with sniffer dogs, commenced immediately to locate any passengers potentially trapped beneath the overturned carriages. Local media reported that these search efforts continued persistently throughout the night.
As of Monday morning, authorities confirmed that no further survivors or fatalities had been discovered during the intensive search operation.
