German train derailment ’caused by landslide’

By Staff reporter
Published 28th Jul 2025, 12:45 GMT
Updated 28th Jul 2025, 12:55 GMT
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Investigators believe a landslide brought on by heavy rainfall is likely to have caused a regional train to derail in southern Germany, killing three people and injuring 41 more.

More than 100 people were aboard the Deutsche Bahn train when at least two carriages derailed on Sunday evening in a forested area near Riedlingen, about 98 miles west of Munich.placeholder image
More than 100 people were aboard the Deutsche Bahn train when at least two carriages derailed on Sunday evening in a forested area near Riedlingen, about 98 miles west of Munich.

The train’s 32-year-old driver, a 36-year-old apprentice and a 70-year-old passenger were killed, police said on Monday.

Some of the 41 injured were seriously hurt.

Police said the downpours in the area caused a sewage shaft to overflow, likely triggering the landslide of an embankment where the derailment occurred.placeholder image
Police said the downpours in the area caused a sewage shaft to overflow, likely triggering the landslide of an embankment where the derailment occurred.

There was no evidence of an external influence that could have caused the derailment, police said.

Photos from the scene showed parts of the train on its side as rescuers climbed atop the carriages.placeholder image
Photos from the scene showed parts of the train on its side as rescuers climbed atop the carriages.

“Such pictures shake us to the core,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said on Monday, offering his condolences to the victims’ families.

He pledged full support for the effort to clear up the cause.

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