S-Bahn accident near Munich: investigators call the first suspect - there was already a house search
Created: 02/17/2022, 14:04
By: Catherine Haase
After the serious S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn near Munich, the police have now given an update on the results of the investigation so far at a press conference.
All news in the ticker.
In Schäftlarn near Munich there was a serious S-Bahn accident on Monday, February 14th.
At a press conference, the police have now given an update on the results of the investigation so far.
This ticker is continuously updated.
You can also get more information from our district Munich newsletter.
Update from February 17, 11:52 a.m .:
Press representatives can now ask questions.
This part is kept from the public.
Police spokesman Andreas Franken thanked all interested listeners.
The information that one of the two engine drivers is listed as a suspect is likely to be new for outsiders.
It remains unclear what he is accused of and also why the emergency braking, which should actually take effect when an S-Bahn runs over a wrong signal, did not work.
Press conference on the S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn: A train driver is considered the "accused"
Update from February 17, 11:47 a.m .:
Chief Public Prosecutor Anne Leiding is now speaking.
The investigations are being carried out at full speed and are also being supported by the federal police.
Neben einem Erstgutachter wurde auch ein Experte aus Stuttgart vor Ort hinzugezogen, der bereits das Zugunglück in Bad Aibling im Jahr 2016 begutachtet hatte. Nach Abschluss seiner Arbeit konnte die Unfallstelle am Mittwoch wieder freigegeben werden.
Zudem wurde eine Blutprobe der beiden Fahrzeugführer entnommen und auf Alkohol untersucht. Dies erwies sich als unauffällig. Weiterhin wurden die Fahrtenschreiber der S-Bahn und die gesamte Fahrt-Kommunikation sowie die Handys der beiden Lokführer sichergestellt.
One of the two drivers (54) is currently cited as the culprit.
He has called in a defense attorney who stated that his client did not want to provide any information at this time.
A search was carried out on the suspect's home.
Leiding does not want to give any information on the question of whether human or technical error led to the accident.
However, it can indeed be assumed that the 54-year-old passed a red stop signal after his stop in Ebenhausen.
His 21-year-old colleague, who was coming towards him, was the first to notice the dangerous situation.
According to expert reports, the volume of data from the accident is comparable to the volume of data from a plane crash.
This shows the enormous amount of effort that still needs to be invested in order to achieve secure results.
Leiding emphasizes that "human error" should not be equated with an intentional act.
Press conference on the S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn: Eight-strong investigative team founded
Update from February 17, 11:42 a.m .:
After the initial words by Andreas Franken, police director Steffen Küpper is the first to speak.
He reports that according to the current status of the investigation, the stop signal for the S-Bahn, which was heading towards Munich, showed red.
So far, however, this is only an initial finding and one still has to wait for the valid results of the expert.
As already known, a 24-year-old Afghan died in the accident.
The two train drivers and four other people were seriously injured.
The exact number of injured is still unclear, as many things are added in the aftermath.
However, it is assumed that more than 40 people were injured.
A total of over 800 emergency services were on site.
Küppers would like to thank all helpers and accomplices for their commitment.
The investigation into the cause of the accident has now begun.
This is led by an eight-strong investigative group called "S-Bahn".
There are numerous testimonies and data to evaluate.
Update from February 17, 11:28 a.m .:
The press conference on the S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn is about to begin.
The head of the traffic police at the Munich police headquarters, Mr. Steffen Küpper, and senior public prosecutor Ms. Anne Leiding from the Munich I public prosecutor's office, will take part in this press conference.
The current investigation results on the course of the accident and the possible cause are to be presented at the press conference.
Police press spokesman Andreas Franken from the Munich police is also present.
Update from February 17, 11:02 a.m .:
In the meantime, the recovery of the trains has begun.
.
In preparation, the contact wire of the overhead line had already been dismantled over a length of several hundred meters the day before.
How long the work will take is still open, said a railway spokesman.
The cause of the accident is still unclear.
At 11:30 a.m., the public prosecutor’s office and the police will provide information on the current status of the investigation in a press conference.
There are numerous forces from the THW, fire brigade, police and railway on site.
The construction site is now closed, for safety reasons no one is allowed to approach it.
The area must be bypassed over a wide area and will be diverted at the Schäftlarn monastery.
Update from February 17, 9.46 a.m .:
The preparation for the salvage in Schäftlarn begins.
The special crane is already set up.
It is the crane of a special company.
In addition, DB's own emergency crane from Fulda is on standby, but initially not on site in the morning.
There are also other special vehicles at the scene of the accident.
The THW is also preparing on site for the recovery of the S-Bahn.
© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
S-Bahn accident: preparations for salvage are underway
Update from February 17, 6:37 a.m
.: The clean-up work after the S-Bahn accident near Schäftlarn is in full swing.
The recovery of the two S-Bahn trains is expected to begin on Thursday.
This was announced by Deutsche Bahn.
In addition, the public prosecutor and the police want to provide information about the current status of the investigation.
Because the cause of the accident in which a person died is still unclear.
The wrecked vehicles are to be recovered with the help of cranes.
In preparation, the contact wire of the overhead line had been dismantled over a length of several hundred meters.
However, the weather in Bavaria will be stormy in the next few days;
Experts expect falling trees and falling roof tiles.
It was initially unclear whether this could hinder the work.
S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn - investigations are ongoing
Update from February 16, 1:50 p.m .:
Almost two days have passed since the S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn.
Little by little, more details about the tragic accident are coming to light.
The cause of the head-on collision is still unclear.
What is known, however, is that the speedometer on the train from Munich to Wolfratshausen shows 40 kilometers per hour.
Whether this is the speed at which the train collided with the oncoming train has not yet been determined.
The public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that the investigation would be open-ended.
The driver's cab of the unlucky S-Bahn.
The speedometer shows Tempo 40. © Matthias Balk/dpa
S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn: Odometer reading of the train known
The two train drivers were not yet able to be questioned on Tuesday.
The police said on Wednesday that there was no new status. Investigators have now secured the tachographs of the two railcars, and several witnesses have already been questioned.
Original article from February 16th:
Schäftlarn - After the terrible S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn south of Munich, the recovery of the two trains that collided is now expected to begin on Thursday, February 17th.
This was announced by Deutsche Bahn (DB), which operates the Munich S-Bahn, on Wednesday.
With the help of cranes, the vehicles wedged into each other are to be recovered.
Read all the information from the time of the collision in our first news ticker at Merkur.de
In preparation for this, the contact wire of the overhead line had already been dismantled over a length of several hundred meters last night, according to the statement.
A special crane will probably also be needed to salvage the smashed trains on the elevated railway embankment.
Several parts of the train had jumped off the tracks.
S-Bahn accident in Schäftlarn: Human error suspected as the cause
The two trains collided on Monday, February 14, around 4:40 p.m. on a single-track section in Ebenhausen.
Of the 95 people in the two trains at the time of the accident, 18 were injured, six of them seriously.
The two train drivers were among the seriously injured.
For a young Afghan (24) any help came too late, he died in the accident.
Read here what happened in the seconds before the accident:
"Sch..., there's a train coming"
The cause of the accident is being investigated and human error is suspected.
Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) said on Tuesday that a technical error is not currently assumed.
A report by the
Bild
newspaper that one of the drivers had overlooked a red stop signal was denied by police circles.
There will be a press conference on Thursday at which the police will present their preliminary investigation results.
There was already a near-collision on the same route of the S7 in August 2021.
Shortly thereafter, an expert spoke in an interview about the concerns about the single-track sections.
The people in Schäftlarn are still in shock.
Our reporter visited the site the day after the accident.
After a serious S-Bahn accident: the S7 route to Wolfratshausen is still closed
After the damaged S-Bahn trains have been recovered, the damage to the infrastructure should be assessed and repaired.
It is not yet possible to predict when the route can be reopened.
The section between Höllriegelskreuth and Wolfratshausen will remain closed until further notice.
The S-Bahn line S 7 in the direction of Wolfratshausen runs to Höllriegelskreuth and turn around there.
A rail replacement service with buses according to a fixed timetable has been set up between Wolfratshausen and Höllriegelskreuth.
More current news from the district of Munich can be found here.
kah/dpa
