Page 11 - HOH
P. 11
A2
UP FRONTWednesday 10 February
Train crash in Germany kills at least 10, injures 80
D. RISING safety measures failed. tenth died later in a hos- Aerial view of rescue teams at the site where two trains collided
K. GRIESHABER The trains crashed on a pital, police spokesman head-on near Bad Aibling, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016.
M. SCHRADER stretch of track running be- Stefan Sonntag said. The Several people have been killed and dozens were injured.
Associated Press tween a river and a forest two train engineers were
BAD AIBLING, Germany about 40 miles (60 kilome- thought to be among the (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
(AP) — Crews using heli- ters) southeast of Munich. dead and one person was
copters and boats rescued Though the first rescue still missing in the wreckage.
dozens of people from crews were on the scene in “The missing person is in
the wreckage of two Ger- minutes, it took hours for all the part of the train where
man commuter trains that survivors to be airlifted and there’s little hope of find-
crashed head-on Tuesday shuttled by boat across the ing anyone alive,” Sonntag
in an isolated part of Ba- river to waiting ambulanc- said. “This is the biggest
varia, killing at least 10 and es. accident we have had in
leaving authorities trying Nine people were reported years in this region.”
to determine why multiple dead immediately while a Investigators called off their
search through the rubble German police would not
after night fell, but Sonntag comment on a local me-
said they would resume dia report citing an anony-
at first light as they tried mous source that authori-
to determine why safety ties believed human error
measures failed to stop the might be at fault.
crash. “Everybody is at a loss right
Two black boxes have now,” said Christian Boett-
been recovered and are ger, an expert on Germa-
being analyzed, which ny’s train system who works
should show what went at Berlin’s University of Ap-
wrong, Transport Minister plied Sciences.
Alexander Dobrindt said. “Trains are the safest means
“We need to determine im- of transportation,” he said.
mediately whether it was “There are so many secu-
a technical problem or a rity measures in place in
human mistake,” he said, this system that the crash is
adding that crews are still multiply mysterious.”
searching for a third black German rail operator
box. Deutsche Bahn said safe-
The two trains were sup- ty systems on the stretch
posed to pass one anoth- where the crash occurred
er at a station where the had been checked as re-
track was divided, and a cently as last week.
safety system installed on Passengers spoke of feeling
much of Germany’s laby- hard braking then a “giant
rinthine rail network was bang” as the two trains
supposed to automatically slammed into one another,
brake trains that end up tearing the two engines
on the same track head- apart, and derailing cars
ing toward each other, au- near the front.
thorities said. The two trains “I heard people scream-
slammed into one another ing for help and heard the
on a curve, meaning that sound of broken glass as
their engineers wouldn’t people were getting out,”
have seen each other until a survivor identified only as
it was too late. Patrick told RTL television.
Dobrint said the black box He said his car was still on
data will show whether the tracks, but he could
there was a signal from the see the train that hit it and
automatic braking system, the first two wagons of his
and if so, why the trains train were twisted and torn
didn’t brake until too late. open.q
