The incident took place near the Meerbusch-Osterath train station in North-Rhine Westphalia, the most populous state in Germany.
Heavy train collision in Meerbusch, Germany. At least 50 injured https://t.co/etveRiwe5a pic.twitter.com/iWJklWZ9yr
— Voice of Europe (@V_of_Europe) December 5, 2017
The railway has confirmed to German news outlets that a National Express train collided with a DB Cargo train. The freight train was transiting from Dillingen to Rotterdam when the accident occurred, Stuttgart Zeitung reported.
Derzeit scheint die Lage den Umständen entsprechend ruhig zu sein. Die Feuerwehr hat Kontakt zu den Personen im Zug. pic.twitter.com/LgbRhcQZD3
— Feuerwehr Meerbusch (@FWMeerbusch) December 5, 2017
"Our emergency services arrived at the accident site," the Meerbusch Fire Department said via Twitter.
Aid organizations and first responders are being coordinated to transport the injured to medical facilities.
"A torn-off contact wire currently makes it more difficult for the local forces to gain access to the people on the train," the Meerbusch FD said, which noted that as many as 150 people may have been on the plane at the time of the crash.
Wir gehen derzeit von bis zu 150 Personen im Inneren des Zuges aus. 5 davon sind nach derzeitigen Informationen verletzt. pic.twitter.com/JtRT2BgCNY
— Feuerwehr Meerbusch (@FWMeerbusch) December 5, 2017
The electrical wire has continued to limit rescue efforts, according to the fire department.
— Feuerwehr Meerbusch (@FWMeerbusch) December 5, 2017
— BNL NEWS (@BreakingNLive) December 5, 2017
