Parts of the train were thrown off the tracks and into the surrounding forest in Germany. (Photo: X/@inteltower)
At least three people have been killed and 34 others injured after a regional train carrying over 100 passengers derailed in Germany’s southwestern Baden-Württemberg state on Sunday evening.
The crash occurred around 6:10 p.m. local time in the Biberach district, near the French border. The force of the derailment was so severe that two carriages were flung off the tracks and into a wooded embankment. One carriage was seen lying on its side, its roof torn open and wedged between trees, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
About 50 people were injured in a train derailment in #Germany
25 of them were seriously injured. According to the Bild newspaper, three people died in the incident, two of whom were employees of the #deutschebahn railway company.
The accident occurred yesterday evening in… pic.twitter.com/xIWSwvgOo3
— News.Az (@news_az) July 28, 2025
Eyewitness videos from the crash site captured chaotic scenes, with emergency responders using specialized equipment to free passengers trapped inside mangled train cars. Screams could be heard in the background as rescue teams worked under pressure.
The train, operated by Deutsche Bahn, was traveling from Sigmaringen to Ulm. According to German federal police in Stuttgart, approximately 100 people were on board at the time of the accident.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“The train accident in the Biberach district shocks me. I am in close contact with the Interior and Transport Ministers and have asked them to support rescue efforts with all available resources. We mourn the victims. I express my condolences to their relatives.”
Authorities are investigating the cause of the derailment, with early reports suggesting a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall may be to blame.
Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Minister Thomas Strobl, speaking at the crash site, said:
“There was heavy rainfall here, so it cannot be ruled out that the rain and a resulting landslide were also the cause.”
Emergency crews remained on site through the night, combing the wreckage and stabilizing the area amid concerns of further ground movement.