One dead after freight train collision in Germany (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

One person was killed after two freight trains collided during shunting operations in Munich, Germany, in the early hours of Saturday. The fatal accident occurred hours after a similar rail collision left one passenger dead and dozens seriously injured in the UK.

A video shared by one of the witnesses on social media showed two rail cars hanging off a bridge after they derailed and plunged onto the roadway below. Additional footage captured emergency crews and heavy machinery at the scene, with the derailed cars lying beside the bridge as firefighters and police carried out recovery operations.

“The fact that two trains collided and fell from a bridge is unbelievable,” a fire department spokesperson told newspaper Die Zeit.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident, according to Munich police, which said streets in the Milbertshofen district in the north of the city would remain closed until recovery operations are completed.

The wagons that fell from the bridge were empty, the police added. The authorities said no disruptions to regional or long-distance passenger rail services were expected, as the accident occurred on a line used exclusively by freight trains.

Meanwhile, also on Friday evening, two passenger trains crashed into each other north of London during rush hour. One person died, while emergency services said 89 people were injured, including 11 who suffered “very serious injuries” and 22 who were seriously wounded, according to British Transport Police.

The latest collision in Germany follows another incident in March, when a regional express train carrying more than 300 passengers struck concrete slabs placed on the tracks in the country’s northwest.

No one was injured, and police said they suspected unknown perpetrators had deliberately placed the slabs and a metal rod on the rails. A criminal investigation was opened.

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