German train crash wounds six


FE Team | Published: December 06, 2017 12:03:37 | Updated: December 08, 2017 09:39:18


Rescue personnel stand next to damaged carriages at the site of train crash in Meerbusch, Germany December 5, 2017. (REUTERS photo)

Six people have been injured in a train crash near the German city of Düsseldorf, emergency services say.

A passenger train collided with a freight train in the town of Meerbusch, according to reports.

In a tweet, the Meerbusch fire department said rescuing people from the train was the main priority.

There were 155 people on the train at the time, the fire department said. Meerbusch is in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state.

Meerbusch fire department said that its staff were "in contact with the people on the train" and that full access to the passengers "should be possible".

The fire department added that access had been hindered by a broken electrical cable "which poses a risk of electric shock to persons outside the train".

The accident occurred at about 19:30 local time (18:30 GMT), according to a statement from Germany's state-owned railway group Deutsche Bahn.

Three people were "severely injured" while a further three suffered injuries described as "moderately severe", the fire department said in a statement.

Dozens more were reported to be "slightly injured". None of the injuries is said to be life-threatening, according to BBC.

The cause of the collision is not yet clear.

Rescue teams from Meerbusch, Kaarst and other nearby cities have arrived at the site.

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