German regional train carrying nearly 200 travellers derails

A regional express train with nearly 200 passengers derailed in the evening in the German region of Saarland on open tracks after hitting a boulder.

The driver sustained grazes, but no other injuries were reported, according to the Federal Police in the regional capital Saarbrücken.

The passengers were to be evacuated onto a replacement train on the adjacent track. The boulder had a diameter of around 1 metre, said a police spokeswoman.

The passengers had "a stroke of luck," said the spokeswoman, as the train slid to the left towards the neighbouring track rather than to the right towards a slope.

The train numbered RE 3 was travelling in the direction of Frankfurt when the incident occurred between Namborn and Türkismühle.

Why the boulder, along with earth and debris, slid from a slope near the tracks was initially unclear. The railway line was closed.