Two S-Bahn trains collide on a single-track line near Munich. One person is dead, 25 people are injured. The police investigations continue.
Update from Thursday, February 17th, 2022, 12.30 p.m .: After the collision of two S-Bahn trains in the Munich district, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating one of the two train drivers. According to the current status, a train probably ran over a stop signal, the investigating authorities said on Thursday, according to dpa. One person was killed and 25 injured in the accident on Monday (02/14/2022).
S-Bahn collision near Munich: “No signs of technical failure”
+++ 11.00 a.m .: After the S-Bahn accident near Munich, the train wants to start on Thursday (February 17th, 2022) with the recovery of the two trains that collided head-on. In preparation for the salvage work, the contact wire of the overhead line was dismantled over a length of several hundred meters on Wednesday night, Deutsche Bahn said. So far, the rescue could not be tackled because the investigations at the accident site had not yet been completed.
As the DB announced, the clean-up and repair work can only be started in full after the scene of the accident has been cleared. Only after the salvage could the damage to the infrastructure be assessed.
It is not yet possible to predict when the route can be reopened. The section between Höllriegelskreuth and Wolfratshausen remained closed, and the railway continued to use replacement services.
S-Bahn collision near Munich: “No signs of technical failure”
Update from Wednesday, February 16th, 2022, 8 a.m.: After the collision of two S-Bahn trains south of Munich, in which a passenger died and 18 people were injured, the police investigation continues on Wednesday (February 16th, 2022). “There are specialists out there who still have to measure a lot with special technical equipment,” said a spokesman for Munich’s police headquarters. “Therefore it is questionable whether the rescue has already started.” In preparation for the rescue, but also for the investigation files, the scene of the accident near the Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn train station was photographed from the air with the help of drones.
Human error is suspected to be the cause of the collision. The Bavarian Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann (CSU) said on Tuesday (February 15, 2022): “As things stand at present, there are no indications, no signs that it is a matter of technical failure.” At the moment, the focus may be more on “that one of the two train drivers, the engine driver could have made a mistake”. The two train drivers were not yet able to be questioned on Tuesday. The investigators secured the tachographs of the two railcars and heard witnesses.
According to information from railway circles, the accident route is equipped with an electronic safety device. The technology monitors train traffic and can brake trains automatically in an emergency. This system apparently also struck and braked at least one train. The railway line will remain closed until further notice, as will the federal road that passes below the accident site. The railway set up a replacement service with shuttle buses and taxis.
S-Bahn accident near Munich: One dead – Minister of the Interior on investigations
+++ 1:15 p.m .: The day after the head-on collision of two S-Bahn trains in Schäftlarn near Munich, the cause of the accident is still unclear. However, the investigations are running at full speed. “We can’t say anything about that yet, we are in the middle of the investigation,” said a police spokesman on Tuesday (February 15, 2022). Reviewers should support the work. The Munich I public prosecutor’s office is also investigating together with the police and said: “As always, the investigations are being carried out with an open mind and at high pressure, it is still too early to provide further information.”
According to the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), the investigators are currently checking whether the head-on collision was caused by human error. “There are currently no signs of a technical problem,” he told the Bild newspaper on Tuesday.
S-Bahn accident near Munich: the scene of the accident is still closed
The first witnesses to the accident involving two S-Bahn trains near Munich have already been heard, the police said. According to the police spokesman, the two engine drivers, who are among the six seriously injured, are not yet ready for questioning. However, the tachographs of both railcars have now been secured. In addition, the scene of the accident south of Munich was photographed from the air. This was done in the course of investigations, but also in preparation for the rescue. This will not begin before Wednesday (February 16, 2022), a police spokesman also said.
The railway line will remain closed until further notice, as will the federal road that passes just below the accident site. As it was said, the statics of the railway embankment must also be checked. Deutsche Bahn has not yet given a forecast as to when the route can be released again. More research needs to be done first. Clean-up and repair work can only begin once the scene of the accident has been cleared.
Serious S-Bahn accident near Munich: One dead – rescue operation continues
Update from Tuesday, February 15th, 2022, 10:01 a.m.: One day after the serious S-Bahn accident south of the Bavarian capital Munich, there are still many unanswered questions. The focus is currently on the investigation into the cause of the incident and the salvage of the two trains. How did the accident come about in which a passenger died and 18 people were injured? According to the police, the public prosecutor’s office in Munich I is leading the investigation into the cause of the accident. Reviewers support their work.
In addition to the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), the Bavarian Minister of Transport Kerstin Schreyer (CSU) was also concerned about the accident. “It’s shocking to see the forces that collide when two trains collide. My thoughts are primarily with the relatives of the deceased, but also with the injured,” said Schreyer.
S-Bahn accident near Munich: salvage stops
Around 680 police, fire brigade, rescue services and technical relief organizations were involved in the rescue operation well into the night. The salvage was made more difficult by the fact that the tracks are elevated on a railway embankment. The Technical Relief Agency was on site all night, said a spokesman for the fire service center in the Munich district on Tuesday. According to Deutsche Bahn, work on the salvage will continue on Tuesday. The railway line is still closed, but a replacement service has been set up.
According to police, the dead man was a 24-year-old man. 18 people were injured, five of them seriously. The 13 others sustained moderate injuries. In addition, 25 people were treated as outpatients. There were a total of 95 people on the trains. Some were able to free themselves from the wagons. Rescue workers also helped inmates out of the trains.
Serious S-Bahn accident near Munich: one fatality and 18 injuries
Update from Tuesday, February 15th, 2022, 7.35 a.m .: A 24-year-old man died in a collision between two S-Bahn trains in Schäftlarn near Munich on Monday evening (February 14th, 2022). 18 people were injured, five of them seriously, police said on Tuesday morning. The two train drivers were among the seriously injured. The affected railway line was initially closed on Tuesday.
The police still did not provide any information on the possible causes. The Munich I public prosecutor is investigating. The route at the scene of the accident is single track. According to the police, up to 800 emergency services were on site. Police and paramedic helicopters were also deployed.
S-Bahn accident near Munich: one fatality and several injuries
+++ 10:41 p.m .: The number of people injured after the S-Bahn accident in Munich has risen to 18. As police spokesman Andreas Franken told the German Press Agency, five people suffered serious injuries and 13 were moderately injured. 25 inmates from the two S-Bahn were also taken care of on an outpatient basis. A total of 95 people were in the wagons. A passenger died in the accident.
The two S-Bahn trains collided around 4:35 p.m. near the Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn station, the spokesman reported. The cause was initially unclear. According to initial findings, the trains south of Munich were traveling in the opposite direction. The railway line is single track in this area. Why both trains were running on the route at the same time is the subject of the investigation, said Franken.
S-Bahn accident near Munich: large-scale operation on the railway line
+++ 9:20 p.m .: A police spokeswoman corrected the number of people injured in the S-Bahn accident near Munich to 14 people in the evening compared to the AFP news agency. According to the information, one injured person was trapped, but has now been freed. The rescue work continued into the evening. The police initially did not want to give any information about the possible causes of the accident. According to the further information, more than 200 emergency services were on site. Police and paramedic helicopters are also deployed. The railway line between Großhesselohe Isartalbahnhof and Wolfratshausen was closed.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) was dismayed by the accident. “This is terrible news,” he wrote on Twitter. “We mourn with the relatives and wish all those injured in the S-Bahn accident a speedy recovery.” “The relatives of the accident victims have our deepest sympathy,” said the head of the S-Bahn Munich, Heiko Büttner. “We wish the injured a speedy and full recovery.”
Munich: Fatalities and more than ten injured in the S-Bahn collision
First report from February 14th, 2022: Schäftlarn/Munich – When two S-Bahn trains collided south of Munich on Monday (February 14th, 2022) one person was killed and more than ten injured *, reports merkur.de. The fatality has now been officially confirmed, and the large-scale operation is in full swing. The number of injured is constantly being revised upwards. The police are currently talking about 30 injuries. As the police reported, the trains collided around 4:40 p.m. in the area of the Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn station in the Munich district. The station is on the route of the S7 to Wolfratshausen.
The two trains apparently collided on a slope, roughly at the level where the road to the monastery branches off. According to an eyewitness, the area is difficult to access. According to eyewitness accounts, the accident happened on a single-track section between Ebenhausen and Schäftlarn. Apparently, the S-Bahn in the direction of Wolfratshausen just wanted to turn the last curve before it came within sight of the Ebenhausen station. For reasons that are still unclear, the S-Bahn had already started in the direction of Munich and the two trains collided. Firefighters are currently deployed. Numerous rescue services are on site and take care of the injured and people who are apparently in shock. Warming blankets are issued. Helicopters circle the area and witnesses are questioned.
S-Bahn accident near Munich – eyewitness reports of a wedged driver’s cab
According to a passenger, the S-Bahn in the direction of Wolfratshausen kept stopping. In Pullach she stood in the train station for a total of 10 minutes. The train was already delayed by 20 minutes. When the S-Bahn stopped just before Ebenhausen, there was a sudden bang. The passenger questioned, who was in the front car, was thrown forward into a seat. 30 to 40 people would have been in the front car, including many students, many children.
Another eyewitness, who had been sitting at the back of the S-Bahn towards Wolfratshausen, was initially surprised that the train stopped so close to Ebenhausen station. A short time later she felt and heard a loud bang. She too was thrown forward. The passengers then noticed smoke and left the compartment. The eyewitness then saw from a distance to the train that the train that was supposed to be going in the direction of Munich had crashed head-on into the train to Wolfratshausen. The driver’s cabs were wedged together. (Nadja Austel with material from dpa/afp) *merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Matthias Balk/dpa
