Landslide caused deadly train crash in Biberach, German police say

Published on
28/07/2025 – 12:49 GMT+2

A landslide likely caused Sunday’s deadly train crash in the German town of Biberach as a result of heavy rain, German police said.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the train derailed and struck a mass of earth that collapsed onto the tracks.

Three people were killed, including the driver and a rail company employee, and about 50 people were injured in the crash, 25 of whom were seriously injured, according to regional authorities.

Ten people were flown by helicopter to Ulm’s University Hospital for treatment.

Around 100 people were on board the train when at least two carriages derailed in a forested area in the evening between Riedlingen and Munderkingen, roughly 158 kilometres west of Munich. The train departed from Sigmaringen and was travelling to Ulm.

“The heavy rain caused a sewer to overflow in the area of the accident,” said local police in a statement. “The water triggered a landslide from the surrounding bushes in the direction of the track which, in turn, caused the derailment.”

The region of Baden-Württemberg was hit by heavy storms earlier in the evening before the crash.

Rescuers with dogs searched the train for any missing passengers who were potentially stuck under the derailed carriages, local media reported, adding that search efforts continued through the night.

As of Monday morning, no further survivors or dead bodies had been found in the search.