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MUNICH

One person killed and several injured in train collision near Munich

One person was killed and around 18 people were injured - five of them seriously - on Monday when two commuter trains collided near Munich in southern Germany, police said.

Published: 14 February 2022 19:12 CET
Updated: 15 February 2022 09:13 CET
The scene near Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn station, in the Munich district, on Tuesday morning
The scene near Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn station, in the Munich district, on Tuesday morning. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Matthias Balk

A 24-year-old passenger died in the crash, a spokesperson for Munich police said late on Monday. 

At least 18 people were injured – five of them seriously. They were rushed to hospital. 

The two train drivers are among those who are seriously injured, reported Bavarian broadcaster BR24. Around 25 passengers from the two S-Bahn trains were treated as outpatients. A total of 95 people were in the carriages at the time of the collision. 

The cause of the crash, which happened at around 4.40pm, is not yet clear.

The extent of the damage can be seen following the crash. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Matthias Balk

Images in local media showed passengers standing next to the track after the collision, with partially derailed carriages visible.

“One person died and there are injured people – in the double-digit range,” a Munich police spokesman told AFP

 Another 14 people were injured, a police spokeswoman told AFP.

The crash occurred near the S-Bahn urban rail station of Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn, southwest of Munich, with the two commuter trains apparently slamming into each other head-on.

 More than 200 rescue workers and police were at the scene by the early evening, the police spokesman said.

One injured person was initially trapped inside a carriage but was later freed, he added.

A crane is in use at the scene of the accident.

A crane at the scene of the accident. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Matthias Balk

Germany’s top-selling Bild newspaper had earlier reported that a train driver was trapped in the mangled wreckage.

The stretch of track in Germany’s Bavaria region was closed off after the incident, with rail replacement bus services running.

Rescue teams at the scene on Monday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Matthias Balk

Passengers on board the trains told the Merkur newspaper that they felt a loud bang and were thrown forward.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said the relevant authorities had opened an investigation.

“No assessment can be made about the cause of the accident at this moment,” it said in a statement.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the relatives of the victim of the accident. We wish the injured a speedy and full recovery,” added Heiko Büttner, head of S-Bahn Munich.

Bavarian premier Markus Söder expressed dismay at the “terrible news” and thanked the rescue workers for their “quick action”.

According to local radio, two S-Bahn trains nearly collided in the same area last August, but both drivers were able to brake in time.

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MUNICH

Munich opens its first alcohol-free beer garden

In a sign of the growing popularity of non-alcoholic drinks in Germany, Munich is aiming to revamp a crime-ridden area of the city centre with its first alcohol-free beer garden.

Published: 16 July 2024 14:09 CEST
Munich opens its first alcohol-free beer garden

Despite the grand architecture and high-end hotels surrounding it, Munich’s leafy Karl-Stützel-Platz has long had a reputation for drugs and crime.

But thanks to a new initiative from local business owners and campaign groups, the area near the central station is getting a revamp – starting with a new business that is set to be the first of its kind.

On Thursday, Munich’s first-ever alcohol-free beer garden is set to open near the Botanical Gardens in an event attended by the city’s mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD).

Branded Die Null – meaning zero in English – the new gathering spot will serve exclusively non-alcoholic drinks, including alcohol-free beer, mocktails, juices and other cold soft drinks.

As is typically the case in German beer gardens, guests will also be permitted to bring their own food to consume on-site. 

In addition to food and drinks, there will also be a live cultural programme throughout the summer, including a number of events all free to the public. Bands, choirs and solo artists will perform, and the organisers also plan to host youth events and dance parties.

READ ALSO: 10 things people living in Munich take for granted

According to the project founders – a group of local leaders including local hotel and restaurant owners and cultural organisations – the concept is part of a drive to revitalise the area around Karl-Stützel-Platz and revive some of the square’s former grandeur.

Beer gardens are more about the culture of being together outdoors than alcohol, they told the Süddeutsche Zeitung, making Die Null a beer garden “in a completely traditional sense”. 

Nevertheless, the concept appears to pay homage to the dizzying rise of alcohol-free drinks in Germany and the trend towards mindful drinking.

Recent figures released by the German Brewing Association found that around 700 alcohol-free beer varieties are currently on the market in Germany, with the sector worth around €1.6 billion annually and growing year-by-year.

Back in 2021, the hip Berlin district of Kreuzberg celebrated the opening of its first sober Späti, or corner shop, offering a huge range of non-alcoholic wines, beers, gins and other alcohol-free spirits. 

READ ALSO: Berlin’s first sober Späti – Is ‘mindful drinking’ the new trend?

At the time, the owners of the Späti, who hail from southern Germany, said their selection of more than 200 alcohol-free drinks “helps to answer the question of what to drink when you’re not drinking”.

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