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A man died and another was seriously injured early on Saturday when two freight trains collided in Munich, causing two wagons to plunge five metres from a bridge onto a busy road below, police said. The accident occurred during shunting operations shortly after 1.40 a.m. local time on the Schleißheimer Straße viaduct in the Milbertshofen district, according to a spokeswoman cited by multiple German outlets .
Emergency services confirmed one fatality and one person in critical condition after the wagons fell onto the street. The cargo was declared non-hazardous, and no environmental contamination was reported . Recovery teams continued to remove debris and inspect the bridge on Saturday morning, with traffic diversions in place around the site.
Police have not disclosed the cause of the collision, which left one train derailed and its wagons suspended precariously before they detached and crashed onto the road. Investigators are examining whether human error, mechanical failure, or signalling issues contributed to the incident. The federal rail accident board, the Bundesstelle für Eisenbahnunfalluntersuchung, has been notified and is expected to open a formal inquiry .
The accident follows a pattern of recent freight rail incidents in Germany, where ageing infrastructure and increased freight traffic have raised safety concerns. In 2025, a similar derailment near Duisburg resulted in three fatalities and prompted calls for accelerated track upgrades. Munich’s transport authority has scheduled routine bridge inspections for later this year, though no link to the current incident has been established .
Local residents reported hearing a loud crash around 1.30 a.m. and seeing emergency lights illuminate the area. One witness told the *Süddeutsche Zeitung* that the impact sent debris flying onto the pavement, narrowly missing several parked cars .
The federal transport ministry has pledged full cooperation with investigators and reiterated its commitment to improving rail safety standards. A ministry spokesperson said in a statement that preliminary findings would be released within weeks, pending the completion of technical examinations .
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