[this is the first fast maglev train crash in human history]-- At Least 23 Die In German Train Crash
High-Speed Train Slams Into Maintenance Vehicle; 10 Injured
LATHEN, Germany, Sept. 22, 2006
A body is removed from a high-speed magnetic train on the elevated tracks in Lathen, Germany, on Sept. 22, 2006. The train struck a maintenance cart, killing at least 15 people. (AP Photo)
"At this time, the accident was not caused by a technical failure. It is the result of human error."
Rudolf Schwarz
spokesman, IABG
(AP) A high-speed magnetic train traveling at nearly 125 mph crashed Friday in northwestern Germany, killing at least 23 people and injuring 10 in the first fatal wreck involving the high-tech system, officials said.
Karl-Heinz Brueggeman, a rescue services official, said the death toll rose to 23 after a search in and around the wrecked train, which derailed after smashing into a maintenance cart. The crash occurred about a half-mile from the station at the village of Melstrup.
The train, which runs primarily as a demonstration by its manufacturer, was carrying at least 29 people when it struck a maintenance vehicle with carrying two workers on the elevated track. Mangled wreckage hung from the 13-foot-high track.
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