FLASH
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3 dead and over 30 injured reported...
A serious rail accident has rocked Germany today after a passenger train derailed near the town of Riedlingen, in the Oberschwaben region of Baden-Württemberg. According to local authorities, the accident has caused at least three deaths and dozens of injuries, some of whom are in serious condition.
The incident occurred at around 18:00, while the train was traveling on a railway segment with regular regional traffic. According to eyewitnesses, some of the train's carriages overturned and slid off the railway bed, becoming stranded in a wooded area, which immediately complicated the rescue operation.
Operator Deutsche Bahn said the collision in Riedlingen near Stuttgart was caused by "unknown reasons".
Around 100 people were on the train when at least two carriages derailed in a wooded area at around 6:10 p.m. local time (5:10 p.m. BST), German news agency DPA reported.
German Chancellor Freidrich Merz said he "felt grief for the victims" and offered his "deepest condolences" to their families in a post on X.
He said he was in close contact with the interior and transport ministers and had asked them to provide the emergency services with all the support they need.
In a statement, Ulm police said that current investigations showed that "three people were killed and other passengers were seriously injured."
Hundreds of emergency workers, including firefighters, ambulances and medical helicopters, are working to evacuate passengers and transport the injured to nearby hospitals. Authorities have also set up an emergency coordination center to manage the situation and assist families of those on board.
Police confirmed that around 30 people were injured, some of them seriously. Rescue teams have announced that the operation is difficult due to the terrain and the position of the deformed wagons.
The causes of the accident remain unclear. Investigators are examining the possibility of a technical defect in the train, a problem with the railway infrastructure, or the influence of weather conditions, as heavy rainfall had been reported in the area earlier.
The accident is considered one of the worst in recent years in southwestern Germany, bringing the country's rail safety issues back into focus. The German Transport Minister is expected to visit the area in the coming hours, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed condolences to the families of the victims and solidarity with the injured.
Due to the accident, rail traffic on this line has been completely disrupted, causing numerous delays and diversions in regional transport. Authorities have called on passengers to avoid unnecessary travel in this area and to follow updated information from rail operators.
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