German long-distance train with 185 on board derails after landslide

Parts of a long-distance train carrying 185 passengers derailed in south-western Germany late on Saturday after the railway tracks were hit by a landslide caused by heavy rainfall that has affected the region since Friday.

No one was injured and the passengers were evacuated from the train early on Sunday, according to a spokesman for the national railway operator.

The landslide came down in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, some 50 kilometres east of the city of Stuttgart.

The train's first two carriages jumped off the tracks at around 11.20 pm but did not tip over, according to the railway spokesman.

The mudslide was around 30 metres wide and also hit a road running parallel to the train tracks, the spokesman said.

A car was also affected but the driver remained unharmed, he added.

The long-distance high-speed train had been rerouted between the cities of Ulm and Stuttgart due to flooding in the region, according to the spokesman.

Following the landslide, all long-distance services between Stuttgart and Munich have been suspended, a railway spokesman said early on Sunday.

Large parts of southern Germany were affected by severe rainstorms on Saturday, leading many towns to declare states of emergency as rivers swelled and floods rose.