Germany
Death toll climbs to 9 in night train crash

The number of people killed has risen to 9 in the derailment

photo : AP

Gallery Pictures of the train crash at Cologne on Sunday February 6 2000. Missing Passengers It has been a feature in recent rail accidents that the news media has carried reports of so called "missing" passengers. One reason for this and a major headache for emergency service is that the total number of people travelling on a train is often not known. It would be difficult and unwieldy for trains to have an airline-style passenger manifest for people board and alight from trains at intermediate stations all along its route. As tickets are often valid for a particular journey or route rather than a specific train, people can change their travel plans at the last minute.

of an overnight sleeper train in Germany early today.

Twenty-two people who are thought to have been on the train have not yet been accounted for.

The train had been en-route from Amsterdam to Basle in Switzerland and was carrying about 300 people. It travelling through Brühl station, near Cologne when it became derailed. The accident occurred at about 00:13 local time as the train was negotiating a series of crossovers.

The locomotive of the 9 car train plunged down an embankment and crashed into a house. None of the occupants were hurt. The train driver also survived. One of the coaches narrowly missed another house. Another coach was thrown onto its side and one was crushed against canopy support pillars on the station platform.

Although there is no official explanation of the cause of the derailment, the head of Deutsche Bahn has suggested that the train was travelling at a speed in excess of the 40 km/h speed limit in force. It is understood that track repair work was being undertaken in the area.

Web sources:

German train crash kills nine
BBC On-line 06/02/2000

Seven Die in German Train Crash
Yahoo 06/02/2000

German Train Crash Kills Seven, Injures 105
Excite 06/02/2000