German train accident death toll rises to five Germany

The death toll from a German train derailment Police said it rose to five near a resort in the Bavarian Alps after another body was pulled from the rubble.

Investigators were combing overturned wagons for victims and clues as to the cause of the derailment Friday near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, an area preparing to host the G7 summit in late June.

“At the moment we don’t think there have been any more casualties, but I can’t say for sure yet,” Deputy Regional Police Chief Frank Hellwig told reporters on Saturday.

He said four of the dead were women and that 44 people were wounded, some of them children.

The accident occurred just after midday as school holidays began in the southern German regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

Police said the regional train was so crowded with around 140 people on board that a new €9 (£7.70) public transport ticket is valid across the country. Germany It also boosted demand.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wessing visited the site of a derailment on Saturday and said he was deeply affected. “We will continue to investigate and get to the truth of what happened,” he said.

Richard Lutz, head of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, visited the site of the accident and said he was saddened by his death and pledged a thorough investigation.

The train had just left Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the Bavarian state capital, Munich, when the accident occurred in Burgren.

The region has begun preparations to host the G7 summit of world leaders from June 26-28. Heads of state and government, including US President Joe Biden, are due to meet in Schloss Elmau, seven miles (11 km) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.