Inundation marks the case as waters overflow their banks. - Wagons derail following landslide: "There was a loud rumbling"
On a Saturday evening, an ICE train with 185 passengers had to make an unexpected stop in Schwaebisch Gmuend, a town in Baden-Württemberg. The regional downpour caused a landslide that led to the derailment of the train's first two wagons. Thankfully, none of the passengers were injured, and they were evacuated from the train overnight, with one passenger, Elena Fabian, commenting that "It made a bit of noise. Then everything was well organized, no panic, everyone was calm. The emergency services were quick and took good care of us."
The town is about 50 kilometers east of Stuttgart, and there had been heavy rainfall in the area since Friday, which caused the landslide. The ICE 510 train, en route from Munich to Cologne, derailed around 11:20 p.m., but did not topple over. The landslide measured roughly 30 meters wide.
After the incident, passengers sought refuge in a nearby kindergarten. They were later transported to Pluederhausen (Rems-Murr-Kreis) and Stuttgart. The area between Aalen and Stuttgart remained closed, with uncertainty about when or if long-distance trains between Stuttgart and Munich would operate again.
As early as Sunday morning, experts from the railway and Federal Police arrived at the site to investigate the scene. It was unknown when and how they would recover the derailed ICE 510. The fire department dispatched 85 firefighters, and the German Red Cross sent around 70 personnel to the area.
In the initial reports, there were claims of a regional train with approximately 60 passengers and one car being affected by the landslide, but this turned out to be false. The train referenced was in fact the ICE 510, which had been diverted due to flooding between Ulm and Stuttgart.
A car driver also became a victim of the landslide, but luckily escaped unharmed. The affected county road and railway line run parallel, so the car was also affected by the devastation.
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The weather in the region had been particularly harsh, with heavy rainfall since Friday, contributing to the landslide. The unexpected stop on Sunday for some long-distance trains between Stuttgart and Munich was due to the derailment. The town of Schwäbisch Gmünd experienced traffic disruptions with the closure of the area between Aalen and Stuttgart. The German Red Cross and fire department were busy handling emergencies, including the recovery of the derailed ICE 510. The flooding between Ulm and Stuttgart forced the diversion of trains, affecting travel plans for many. Despite these challenges, no major accidents were reported on the railroad, apart from the ICE 510 derailment and the affected car on the parallel county road. Germany's robust emergency services were well-equipped to handle these situations.
