Train Accident In Denmark: Several Casualties, Cause Under Investigation

Denmark Rail Accident — A passenger train crashed into a cargo train in Denmark. In this image, a passenger train is seen on the Great Belt Bridge after a railway accident in Nyborg, Denmark, Jan. 2, 2019. Gettyimage/ MICHAEL BAGER

Six people have been killed and many suffered injuries in a fatal train accident on the Great Belt Bridge, Denmark. The accident took place early morning Tuesday, according to local timings. reported Danske Statsbaner (DSB), the Danish train operating company.

"We can confirm that six people are dead,” an officer told a news agency, Agence France-Presse.

#UPDATE Several people have been killed in a train accident on a bridge connecting the two islands of #Zealand and #Funen in Denmark, police say. Media reports suggest a passenger train crashed into a cargo train on the Great Belt Bridge.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 2, 2019

The accident took place when a passenger train crashed into a cargo train coming from the opposite direction. Reportedly, the roof of the cargo train blew off due to strong winds and fell on the passenger train causing the passenger train to slow down suddenly. The passenger train was on the way from Funen to Zealand islands, Denmark. The passenger train had departed from the city of Odense, on the central Danish island of Fyn. There were 131 passengers and three employees onboard, when the unfortunate incident happened.

According to a Danish news agency Ritzau, Banedanmark, a Danish company responsible for maintenance and traffic control of most of the Danish railway network, said that apparently some parts of roof of the freight train broke loose and hit the passenger train.

Passengers of the train had been evacuated and sent to Nyborg, a city in central Denmark, Sports Center, wherein a medical team had been made available to look after survivors.

The Accident Investigation Board visited the venue for inspection. The board would investigate the issue to find out the real cause behind the accident, said accident investigator Bo Haaning. To assist survivors a medical team rushed to the spot following the incident.

People are reaching out to Fyns Police to know about the wellbeing of their relatives onboard the passenger train.

The transportation on the bridge was closed for cars, given the strong winds but was open for trains. The count of deceased could increase and number of those who got injured were not confirmed at the time of publishing this article.

The Great Belt Bridge also known as Storebaelt is part of bridges and a tunnel link between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen.