Essen: ICE train hits two track workers, killing one; long-distance trains diverted
An ICE high-speed train struck two Deutsche Bahn workers on a stretch of track in Essen late on Sunday. One was killed and the other seriously injured. The cause is not yet known.
Symbolic image · Photo: Christian Liebscher (Platte) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Six Deutsche Bahn employees were working on a section of track in Essen late on Sunday when an ICE train struck two of them. Rescuers could only confirm the death of one of the men, the fire service said. The second worker was seriously injured, brought from the track area to the street with a turntable ladder and taken to hospital.
The operation lasted about two hours, with emergency chaplains and a federal police helicopter also at the scene. No information on the cause has been released and an investigation is under way.
The line remained closed for the time being on Monday morning. Long-distance trains are being diverted between Gelsenkirchen and Duisburg, with delays of about 20 minutes, according to the railway. Regional passengers were advised to check alternative routes.