An estimated 50 people have been injured after a passenger train and freight train smashed into each other.
The horrific smash occurred near the Meerbusch-Osterath station, on the outskirts of Dusseldorf in the west of the country.
Hanging overhead electric cables prevented rescue teams from reaching the injured, but the first casualties have now started being pulled from the wreckage.
The horrific smash occurred near the Meerbusch-Osterath station, on the outskirts of Dusseldorf in the west of the country
Photographs showed the passenger vehicle partially derailed but still standing upright
At around 7.30pm local time, a National Express train from Cologne to Krefeld with more than 100 passengers on board, collided with the DB Cargo train.
According to the private operator National Express – which is a subsidiary of the British coach company – the freight train was stood stationary in the middle
Photographs showed the passenger vehicle partially derailed but still standing upright.
At around 7.30pm local time, a National Express train from Cologne to Krefeld with more than 100 passengers on board, collided with the DB Cargo train
A swathe of blue lights from the emergency services lights up the road that runs adjacent to the train tracks