After the train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the public prosecutor’s office in Munich II initiated investigations against three people on suspicion of negligent homicide. The accused are employees of Deutsche Bahn, said a spokeswoman for the Munich II public prosecutor on Tuesday at the request of the German Press Agency.
The regional train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich derailed shortly after departure on Friday afternoon. Four women and a 14-year-old from the region died and around 40 people were injured. One woman remains in critical condition.
Among the women killed are two mothers from Ukraine who had fled to Bavaria with their children. The investigation into the cause of the accident is being carried out by a Soko “Zug”. The Federal Office for Railway Accident Investigation is also involved. Deutsche Bahn announced that it is currently unable to comment due to the ongoing investigation. “Of course we are doing everything we can to support the investigating authorities in clarifying the cause of the accident,” said a railway spokesman on Tuesday.
The investigators are now taking a closer look at the locomotive
Meanwhile, the clean-up work around the accident site in the Burgrain district is progressing. According to the police, several wagons from the derailed train were removed over the Pentecost weekend. For investigative reasons, the locomotive and the foremost railway wagon are to “remain indefinitely at the scene of the accident”.
The accident on Friday afternoon initially caused traffic chaos in the region because the busy A95 and B2 roads had to be partially or completely closed for the large-scale operation of the police and rescue services. According to the police, the motorway has been open to traffic in both directions since Monday morning, and the two tunnels in Oberau and Farchant on the B2 are expected to remain completely closed until Wednesday due to repair work.