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ACCIDENT

Engineers bail out of runaway freight train

Two engineers bailed out of a freight train after the brakes failed, leaving it to roll six kilometres from Frechen to Cologne, police in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia reported on Tuesday.

Engineers bail out of runaway freight train
Crash, boom, bang! Photo: DPA

The two men jumped from the 31-car coal transport train near the Frechen station when they discovered the brakes were not working on Monday night. After they failed to engage the emergency brake, the runaway train gathered considerable momentum for six kilometres until it broke through a warehouse door, coming to rest inside the building in the city’s Junkersdorf district.

According to police reports, the train, run by Cologne freight company HGK, was intentionally routed to the side track that led to the warehouse.

The 44 and 20-year-old engineers sustained minor injuries in their jump from the train. Authorities are investigating the cause of the brake failure.