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Clean-up work near Garmisch: derailed in the direction of travel to the right
Photo: Uwe Lein / dpa
What happened?
Last Friday, June 3, a regional train derailed on the route from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich.
The accident involving train number 59458 happened a few minutes after departure in the direction of Munich at 12.15 p.m. near the town of Burgrain on a single-track route.
Three double-decker cars overturned, the pushing locomotive, the control car and two cars remained on the track bed.
Five people died in the accident, four women aged 30, 39, 51 and 70 and a 13-year-old boy from the region.
Two of the women killed had fled to Germany from the Ukraine, the other two come from Wiesbaden and the district of Munich.
The number of injured is the police at 44, a woman is apparently still in critical condition.
According to the police, however, all missing persons cases have now been clarified.
Why did the train derail?
This is the subject of the ongoing investigations under the leadership of the responsible public prosecutor's office in Munich II. The "Soko Zug" at the Weilheim police force includes several dozen investigators, and the Federal Office for Railway Accident Investigation and the Federal Railway Authority are also involved.
The cause of the accident is still unclear.
Police and public prosecutors announced on Tuesday morning that they were investigating three Deutsche Bahn employees, among other things on suspicion of negligent homicide.
According to the public prosecutor's office, negligent bodily harm is also a criminal offence.
The public prosecutor's office has also commissioned an expert opinion to analyze the course of the accident.
According to consistent media reports, the engine driver, the dispatcher and the person responsible for the route are being investigated.
Investigations against this group of people are common due to the respective function after train accidents, but this does not mean very much for the course of events.
Any clues as to the cause?
Unlike the train accidents in Bad Aibling and on an outer branch of the Munich S-Bahn, no second train and no second vehicle were involved.
There is no evidence of an attack, for example in connection with the upcoming G7 summit.
Bahn circles also confirmed to SPIEGEL that the regional train should not have exceeded the maximum speed.
Accordingly, various works were planned on the route between Munich and Garmisch, but it was unclear whether there was a connection.
In addition to causes on the line, there are also defects on the train, such as the bogie.
The accident site is just a few meters south of the Loisach river bed.
The route describes a slight left turn in the direction of travel, the wagons derail to the right in the direction of travel.
According to the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), the focus of the investigations is on the question of technical defects.
Wagon chassis were secured, and rails and sleepers were measured.
What does the accident mean for rail traffic?
The track, a major route southbound, has not yet been reopened.
The control car and three wagons have now been removed, the electric locomotive and one wagon remain on the track for further investigation.
At the scene of the accident, the overhead line has been torn down and needs to be replaced.
The federal highway 2, which runs just a few meters from the track, remained closed to traffic on Tuesday at the scene of the accident.
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