A passenger train derailed in the Alps in southern Germany on Friday, killing and injuring riders.
Federal police said a train accident that killed at least four people and injured over a dozen more happened in the south German town of Burgrain, the Associated Press reported.
A passenger train has derailed in the German region of Bavaria, on a line linked to Munich. Three people have been killed. pic.twitter.com/u0oasdsXhM
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Police said the train derailed around noon shortly after taking off from the resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, an area near Austria’s northern border. Authorities are not able to answer why the train derailed, overturning three of the double-deck carriages and forcing passengers to escape through the train windows, according to the report.
There is a search and rescue operation underway, but officials do not have an accurate count for the number of passengers on board the train when it derailed, the AP reported.
Reports initially detailed only three deaths, but the Upper Bavaria South Police, who have taken over rescue efforts, announced the death of another passenger. (RELATED: Two Workers Die After Massive 80-Foot-High Coal Pile Collapses)
”The number of fatally injured in the train accident unfortunately increases to four people,” Upper Bavaria South Police tweeted Friday afternoon, reported CNN.
Around 30 passengers were injured, with 15 admitted to local hospitals after sustaining serious injuries when the train derailed, according to CNN. Garmisch-Partenkirchen official Stephan Scharf told CNN that 60 passengers required medical treatment.
No information was given on the identities of the passengers who died, but there were several school students on board the train when it derailed, according to Reuters.
The rail line will remain closed while the emergency crew continues to search the scene.