In the early hours of Saturday, two freight trains collided on a railway bridge in Munich’s Milbertshofen district, killing one person and causing two wagons to plunge roughly five metres onto the Schleißheimer Strasse below. The accident occurred at approximately 1:40 a.m. on the North Ring line, which is used only for goods trains, according to rail operator Deutsche Bahn. Munich police confirmed the fatality and said the derailed wagons were empty, presenting no threat to the public.

Emergency services, including some 60 firefighters, arrived at the scene. The collision forced two wagons off the bridge; they came to rest partly on the bridge edge and partly on the roadway, damaging several parked cars and a bus, officials said. The thoroughfare was closed to traffic, and recovery teams deployed cranes to remove the wreckage, with work expected to last through Sunday. A police spokesman told the Reuters news agency that the cause of the crash remained under investigation.

German media reports, citing police sources, identified the deceased as a 46-year-old shunting driver from Hamburg. The Bild newspaper, quoting investigators, said the man was at the front of a 700-metre-long train being pushed from the rear and may have failed to observe a stop signal, leading his train to switch tracks and collide side-on with an oncoming freight train. However, a police spokesman stated that the victim’s identity had not been officially released pending notification of next of kin. No other casualties were reported.

Local residents described hearing a loud detonation and witnessing a large emergency response, with helicopters overhead. A fire brigade spokesman noted that the sight of two trains falling from a bridge was “unbelievable.” Officials said the North Ring line’s separate infrastructure meant no disruption to passenger services. The investigation is continuing, with Munich police and federal railway authorities involved. The incident occurred one day after a fatal passenger train crash north of London, but no connection has been drawn between the two events.