Three killed as train hits army lorry
A United States army lorry and a passenger train collided at a level crossing in southern Germany today, killing at least three people and injuring more than 20, police said.
The two-car train smashed through the truck and burst into flames, killing the American lorry driver, the train engineer and a train passenger, police said.
A woman also riding in the truck was seriously injured, as were four train passengers. The remainder of the train’s 24 passengers were slightly injured.
The lorry was heading for a US military training area.
Police initially said four people died, but later revised that figure.
Several victims freed themselves from the train wreckage and one alerted police with a mobile phone.
The German railways said the crossing’s gate was closed and a red-light signal indicating an oncoming train was on at the time of the crash.
The collision happened at breakfast time near the Bavarian town of Vilseck about 45 miles east of Nuremberg.
The army lorry was on its way to training grounds in nearby Grafenwoehr.
