On the anniversary of the train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, helpers and survivors commemorated the victims in a service. On June 3, 2022, a regional train to Munich derailed – five people died and 78 were injured. After the prayer service, all the church bells in the congregation rang at the end of the year of mourning.
Only a few dozen people came to the ecumenical memorial service in the small pilgrimage church of Sankt Anton. It was a very conscious decision to forego a large frame, said Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU). Five white candles on the steps to the altar commemorated the five dead: a 13-year-old schoolboy from the region and four women from the Munich, Wiesbaden and Ukraine districts aged 30, 39, 51 and 70.
The intention was to keep the memorial service small, says Mayor Elisabeth Koch.
(Photo: Angelika Warmuth/dpa)
Silent mourning: Deutsche Bahn employees laid flowers at the station.
(Photo: Angelika Warmuth/dpa)
In addition to the bereaved and helpers, employees of Deutsche Bahn also took part in the memorial service. At the train station they laid a bouquet of flowers. According to an interim report by the Federal Office for Railway Accident Investigation, damaged concrete sleepers caused the accident. The Munich public prosecutor’s office investigated four railway employees on suspicion of negligent homicide. Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will replace around 480,000 concrete sleepers as a precaution.