INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: 2 Passenger Trains Collide Head-On In Bavaria, Germany - 9 People Dead, Over 150 Others Injured! [VIDEO]

Aerial view shows firefighters and emergency doctors working at the site of a train accident near Bad Aibling, southern Germany, on February 9, 2016. Two Meridian
commuter trains operated by Transdev collided head-on near Bad Aibling, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Munich. Getty Images.

February 9, 2016 - BAVARIA, GERMANY - Two Meridian passenger trains collided head-on near the town of Bad Aibling in Bavaria, Germany. One train reportedly derailed as a result of the collision. Police report multiple injured and at least 9 dead.

Local police spokesman Jürgen Thalmeier told Rosenheim24 that "several people have been killed in the crash." Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that according to police about 150 people have been injured, of them 55 seriously. A police source said that nine people have been confirmed dead.

Rescue works are now completed at the site.

Two people are still missing, RIA Novosti reported, citing local police official Robert Kopp.

One of the train drivers is among the dead, a police source told RIA Novosti.“This is the biggest accident we have had in years in this region and we have many emergency doctors, ambulances and helicopters on the scene,'' police spokesman Stefan Sonntag told The Associated Press.Police, firefighters and other rescue workers were on the scene three minutes after the crash,

Germany's Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt told a press-conference later on Tuesday.

Rescue teams had to work in harsh conditions, the minister said, adding that many had to work in shifts and some required psychological counseling following what they had to deal with.

The site of the crash is difficult to access, which made rescue efforts more complex. Victims of the crash who were in the worst condition had to be transported closer to water first, before being taken on board helicopters.At 8:45 a.m. CET, police tweeted that a rescue operation was in full swing, with over 100 emergency service vehicles in operation, The Local reports.

Police spokesman Jürgen Thalmeier said the trains collided between the local railway stations of Holzkirchen and Rosenheim. The incident occurred at about 7 a.m. local time (6:00 GMT). Bad Aibling is 60 kilometers southwest of Munich.

Here are more images, courtesy of Getty Images:

Drivers of both trains hadn't had visual contact and didn't see the other vehicle approaching until the very last moment, Dobrindt told journalists, saying that both trains were traveling at a high speed of up to 100 km per hour (62 miles per hour) allowed on this part of the railway. There was no time to brake, the official said.

One of the trains was traveling with a delay, the media was told.

A system designed to automatically apply emergency brakes on trains if they end up on the same track was in place, the transport minister said. It was introduced across Germany after a fatal 2011 train collision.


WATCH: Several dead, 150+ injured after 2 passenger trains collide head-on in Germany.

"These past years I was convinced that such tragedies won't be possible," Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said at the press-conference, adding that the government has invested a lot of money so that "two trains shouldn't be on the same track at the same time."

The investigation is ongoing, officials said, calling for any speculation to be avoided. They said that as of now it is difficult to establish whether human error or a technical malfunction caused the crash.

There were three black boxes on the trains, the transport minister said. Two of them have been already retrieved, while one more is somewhere deep in the wreckage.

All local ambulance vehicles have been dispatched to the crash site. Nordbauyerischer Kurier reports that eight medical helicopters have been spotted in a nearby field. “I've never in my life seen so many ambulances,” a BR24 reporter said from the scene of the crash.

Helicopters from Austrian emergency services have reportedly been dispatched to the crash site in neighboring Germany.

It is believed that due to Bavaria's Fasching carnival being celebrated this week, the trains could have been carrying fewer passengers than usual. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Two Trains Collide Head On India - At Least 3 People Killed; Over 100 Injured!

© sonam tomar / Twitter

December 8, 2015 - INDIA - At least three people were killed and over 100 injured in Haryana's Palwal district in northern India after two trains collided head on.

The driver of one train is reported dead, while the other one is said to be seriously injured.

The accident took place at around 8:25am on Tuesday morning between Palwal and Asaoti Railway Station, the Haryana Ab Tak daily reported.

It's believed that dense fog could be the reason for the collision, local media reports. Trains running through the area have been delayed.

India has one of the world's largest railway networks, with over 12,000 trains carrying more than 23 million passengers per day.

© sonam tomar / Twitter

The system is poorly maintained, however, and accidents are common.

Two express trains derailed and plunged into a river in Madhya Pradesh (India's sixth-largest state by population) in early August after flood water weakened the tracks, killing 24 people.

Using gas cutters, divers managed to pull out trapped passengers and 300 were rescued. Dozens were rushed to hospital. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Metrolink Train Derails In Southern California - At Least 30 People Injured!

February 24, 2015 - CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - At least 30 people were reportedly injured early Tuesday when a commuter train derailed in the Southern California city of Oxnard. The number of casualties is not yet clear.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a spokesperson for Metrolink — the LA area’s passenger rail system — said that the pre-dawn crash occurred just before 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday morning when a commuter train collided with a tractor trailer.

Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson told the Times that three train cars detailed due to the collision and at least 30 people were injured. Information about possible casualties could not yet be confirmed by the paper.

Sgt. Denise Shadinger of the Oxnard police told the Associated Press that the truck became fully engulfed in flames as a result of the crash. Photographs from the scene show that the vehicle was split in two and all but obliterated from the collision, but the driver managed to survive, according to a local NBC News affiliate.

Oxnard is a city of around 203,000 situated roughly 65 miles west of LA. The crash occurred on the Ventura County Line tracks near the intersection of 5th Street and Rice Avenue at around 5:45 a.m., according to local media, when the Metrolink train reportedly struck a truck on its tracks.

Tuesday morning’s incident unfolded three weeks after a commuter train near New York City struck an SUV on its tracks, killing six. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Two Trains Collide Near Zurich, Switzerland - At Least 5 People Injured!

Rescue workers inspect the site of a train crash at the train station of Rafz, northern Switzerland, on February 20, 2015. (AFP Photo/Michael Buholzer)

February 20, 2015 - SWITZERLAND - Two Swiss passenger trains have collided near Rafz Station north of Zurich in an accident early morning, injuring at least 5 people, one seriously, according to police.

Previously a member of the emergency services was cited as saying the figure of injured stood at 49.

A witness riding in one of the trains described how the S-Bahn Schaffhausen derailed in Rafz Station, saying that “probably the engineer has overlooked a red light.” But then, “from behind came the fast train from Zurich to Schaffhausen,” ramming the first train and shifting it sideways.

A total of five cars were reportedly derailed.

There was smoke in the front area of the S-bahn, witness January Sieber, 18, told local media. “The trains looked pretty badly damaged,” he said, while another witness reported how one of the trains stood still on the bridge.

Both drivers then asked the passengers to disembark, as “ambulances from across the region were mobilized” to treat the injured, according to an employee speaking anonymously.


WATCH: Train collision in Zurich.

Rafz Station was being secured and roads were blocked as numerous police and emergency vehicles arrived at the scene. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: "There Were People With Cuts And Bleeding Mouths,... It Was A War Scene,..." - Two Train Collision In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Over 220 Injured!

Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

January 6, 2015 - RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - Two trains have collided outside Rio de Janeiro, with 229 people injured in the incident, local media cited authorities. One of the trains, which had stopped at a station, was crashed into from behind by another.

229 people were injured, said Brazil’s Ministry of health citing figures provided by local hospitals, the Globo TV channel reported.

The injured were taken to four major hospitals and there is an emergency unit providing support at the scene.
Of 129 people who were hospitalized, 47 have already been discharged and 60 should leave shortly, the Globo network reported. The others are undergoing tests to determine what procedures should be conducted.

Two trains collide head-on

The accident happened in Mesquita around 8:20 pm (22:20 GMT), near Rio de Janeiro, and trains were suspended in the area following the incident.

The army was summoned to assist rescue operations.

“My head and back are injured. I’m in great pain,” 53-year-old passenger Ana Claudia Pereira da Silva de Oliveira told oGlobo, adding that there was panic, and screaming when the train lights went out.

“A lot of people lost bags and mobile phones,” she added.

“There were people with cuts and bleeding mouths. It was a war scene. There was a lot of smoke, and people thought the train was going to explode,” Thiago Portela, 28, said.

Images show the severity of the accident. Firefighters reported that about 40 people were injured.

Operations on the line have been halted, but authorities hope to resume later in the day.

The collision could have been more serious, but the trains were moving slowly due to bad weather conditions in the region.

“The preliminary reports I have say the train that crashed was not new, but was still in service and was not going to be replaced,” State Transportation Secretary Carlos Roberto Osório said. “Otherwise it was a normal situation, with passengers going off and boarding the stationed train. We should wait for the investigation results.”

Osório said the driver of the crashed train was not injured and is expected to be a major witness. - RT.

INFRASTRUCTURE & SOCIETAL COLLAPSE: Passenger Train And Bus Collide In Canada's Capital - Six Dead!

September 19, 2013 - CANADA - A passenger train and a double-decker city bus collided on the outskirts of Ottawa on Wednesday, killing six people on the bus and injuring 30 others, emergency officials said.

The front of the red double-decker bus was sheared off and the engine of the VIA Rail train had derailed, but the train cars remained upright with little noticeable damage.

Investigators examine the scene of an accident involving a bus and a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.
REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Emergency workers take a person away on a stretcher at the scene of an accident involving a bus and
a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.  REUTERS/Chris Wattie

"Paramedics had to declare five persons deceased on scene, nothing could be done. And of the 31 that were transported, we've just been advised that one was deceased in hospital, for a total of six deaths at this point," Anthony DiMonte, chief of Ottawa Paramedic Services, told a news conference.

He said 11 of the people taken to hospital had been in critical condition.

Ambulances and fire trucks swarmed the scene in the rural west end of Canada's capital city as emergency workers helped train passengers disembark past the wreckage of the bus. Five bodies appeared to be wrapped in yellow tarps beside the train track. One had a purse and a backpack next to it.

One passenger on the bus said the driver did not seem to notice the oncoming train or that the track-level signals were flashing. He said some passengers tried to warn the driver before the collision.

An official photographs the scene of an accident involving a bus and a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.
REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Emergency workers carry an injured person away on a stretcher at the scene of an accident involving a bus and a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.  REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Emergency workers take a person away on a stretcher at the scene of an accident involving a bus and
a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.  REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Police examine the scene of an accident involving a bus and a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.
REUTERS/Chris Wattie

"From what I can tell the bus driver did not notice that these train-tracks signal lights were on and the gates were down. People screamed on the bus shortly before the crash because he was not stopping," Gregory Mech, a passenger on the top level of the double-decker bus, told CBC Television.

"I could see that there were bodies on the train tracks. It was horrible. There's just no other way to explain it. Some people were upset and crying."

Ottawa emergency officials said the collision occurred at 8:48 a.m. EDT (1248 GMT). VIA Rail, which operates national rail passenger service in Canada, said there were no major injuries reported on the train.

Passengers on the train, which was heading to Toronto, said they felt a small impact.

"All I felt was a bump, and I saw a bit of smoke. I thought we were going off the track ... I was afraid we were going to flip over," passenger Robert Gencarelli told reporters on the scene.

He said he was startled when he got off the train and saw how badly the bus was damaged.

"That hit home."

Emergency workers take a person away at the scene of an accident involving a bus and a train in Ottawa
September 18, 2013.  REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Police examine the scene of an accident involving a bus and a train in Ottawa September 18, 2013.
REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Bystanders stand around the scene where a Via Rail train collided with a double-decker bus in Ottawa
September 18, 2013 in this handout photo.   REUTERS/Darryl Praill/Handout via Reuters

Another train passenger, who did not give his name, said he saw the bus rolling toward the train tracks and knew the collision was about to happen.

"I saw it before it happened. I was expecting something. There was a big bang. ... The bus was rolling. It didn't stop."

The crash occurred at a level crossing surrounded by corn fields.

A reunification center was set up for families and friends looking for passengers on the bus and train, the City of Ottawa said.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about the collision, which came just months after a runaway freight train crash and explosion killed 50 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.

"Our thoughts and prayers are (with) the families of those involved," Harper said on Twitter.

Canada's two big railroads - Canadian National Railway Co and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd - are reviewing safety standards after the July 6 Lac-Megantic crash that destroyed the center of the small Quebec town. - Reuters.

INFRASTRUCTURE & SOCIETAL COLLAPSE: Train Collision In Switzerland - At Least 40 Injured, As Two Trains Collide Head-On?!

July 29, 2013 - SWITZERLAND - Two passenger trains collided in Switzerland early Monday evening, leaving dozens injured. Local media reported that at least 40 people are among the wounded, four of whom are in serious condition. Train services in the area have been halted.

Photo from twitter.com user @matig.

The accident occurred in the municipality of Granges-Marnard, near the city of Lausanne, in the western French-speaking region of the country. The trains crashed approximately 100 meters away from a rail station, as one headed towards Lausanne, according to local commuter newspaper 20 Minutes.



WATCH: Train crash in Switzerland.

“Many passengers were injured and were taken care of by rescue services,” one witness told the paper. Local paper the Geneva Tribune reported 40 injured, with other Swiss media sources placing the number closer to 44.

Swiss television newscast SF1 reported the high casualty numbers, adding that the incident happened at approximately 7pm local time.  Firefighters, ambulances, helicopters, and police are on site. State police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel told AP just over an hour after the incident that rescue operations were still underway in the area.

Photo from twitter.com user @OzgurFirat27

Photo from twitter.com user @GHulsens

The French RER train service has temporarily halted transportation between the two western municipalities of Moudon and Payerne, between which the crash took place. A replacement bus service has been established. The distance between the two areas spans just over 20 kilometers.

Europe has witnessed a spate of devastating public transport accidents over the past month, and this marks the third train crash in as many weeks. The most recent disaster was last Wednesday’s high-speed train crash in Spain, in which 79 people died. - RT.