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Child dies after freight train accident in Germany

February 2, 2023

One boy has died following a freight train accident in Recklinghausen in Germany's industrial Ruhr area. A second child was seriously injured hospitalized and in stable condition.

https://p.dw.com/p/4N2sF
A police cordon
Police cordoned off the scene of the incidentImage: Thomas Banneyer/dpa/picture alliance

A 10-year-old boy died and a 9-year-old was seriously injured but in stable condition after they were hit by a freight train in the western German town of Recklinghausen, local authorities said on Thursday night.

Local media reported that the children were dragged for several hundred meters by the train, which was passing through the industrial Ruhr area.

Police said there was no evidence that other children had been affected.

Emergency services at the scene

According to the fire brigade, 35 firefighters and rescue workers were at the scene.

They used a drone with thermal imaging cameras to find potential victims in the darkness.

"We searched the track bed," a spokesperson for the fire brigade said.

Herbert Reul in Recklinghausen
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul spoke with emergency workers at the sceneImage: Thilo Schmuelgen/REUTERS

The interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul, visited the scene of the incident on Thursday night.

"Children and trains and at such a young age, it's just horrible what happened here and one can only hope the parents will have the strength to overcome this great misfortune," Reul said.

zc/jsi (dpa, AFP, Reuters)