"The trains were moving at a very high speed. The maximum speed limit at this stretch is 100 kilometers per hour. There is a curved stretch in the area. We assume that the drivers did not make eye contact with each other and therefore did not try to slow down," the minister said.
According to the latest data, the two trains literally crashed into one another, with one of them being completely torn apart on one side. The cause of the crash will be identified after experts analyze data in the train's black boxes.
"In both trains, there were in total three black boxes. Two of these black boxes have been recovered, the remaining one is in the wrecked part of a train that will be searched during the day. Based on the data in these black boxes, we will be able to analyze technical conditions that were in place or predated the crash," the minister told reporters at a press conference.
As a result of the accident, at least nine people were killed and about 150 injured. The rescue operation involved several hundred people and dozens of helicopters, including from neighboring Austria.
The Bavarian interior minister has described the crash as one of the worst rail accidents ever in Germany.
