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Bus driver saves lives in spectacular train crash

A Düsseldorf bus driver saved the lives of his three passengers on Wednesday evening, after his bus broke down as it was crossing railroad tracks - with freight trains approaching from both directions.

Bus driver saves lives in spectacular train crash
Photo: DPA

The two trains tore the bus to pieces at around 8pm, shortly after the driver managed to get everyone on board to safety. “It’s a ball of metal,” a spokesman for the fire brigade said afterwards.

One train was derailed, slid down an embankment and destroyed an unoccupied garden shed. No-one was injured in the incident, though the train drivers went into shock and were taken to hospital. “Thank God there were no casualties,” a rescue worker told the Bild newspaper afterwards.

The police said afterwards that the accident could have been much more serious, as one of the trains was carrying butane gas, propane gas and other volatile substances. “All the containers are sealed,” a spokesman said. “None of the dangerous cargo has leaked.”

A joint clean-up operation took several hours. The track is only used for freight trains, so there is not expected to be any impact on passenger services.

The Local/DPA/DAPD/bk

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