ad info

CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
   africa
   americas
   asianow
   europe
   middle east
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 custom news
 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:

 

World - Africa

Germany's 60 ICE trains halted a second time

rescue workers
Rescue workers lift bodies from the tangled wreckage  

Ultrasound tests ordered on trains like crashed cars

June 6, 1998
Web posted at: 1:23 p.m. EDT (1723 GMT)

ESCHEDE, Germany (CNN) - Germany said Saturday that ICE high-speed trains of the type that crashed and killed 102 people on Wednesday would be pulled from service a second time for more thorough tests.

Transport Minister Matthias Wissmann told a news conference in this northern village that ultrasound tests were agreed at a meeting of government and railway officials.

"In order to rule out any further risks to the public we have decided to immediately call in all the ICE trains of this type for an additional ultrasound investigation," he said.

Sixty of the first generation Inter City Express trains built in 1991 were taken out of service on Friday and as many as 15 were returned to service after a routine inspection with the naked eye, but they were not subjected to key ultrasound tests.

"Nothing is going to be swept under the carpet," Wissmann said. "Safety must come before economic interests."

Deutsche Bahn chairman Johannes Ludewig was quoted in the German news magazine Focus as saying the railway might install an early warning system in future ICE models.

wreckage
Investigators search for clues to the cause of the accident  

Experts have said that such a system is used to detect problems with the wheels that could lead to a derailment.

Wheel failure suspected in crash

Evidence has suggested that a wheel that might have broken from material fatigue could have caused the carriage directly behind the locomotive to derail.

Authorities have confirmed that parts of a broken ICE wheel were found some six kilometers (four miles) ahead of the bridge. The train is believed to have derailed at a switch 300 meters (yards) before the bridge.

The locomotive uncoupled from the train, which then hurtled into a road bridge as the cars behind jack-knifed into one another. The road bridge collapsed on several cars, crushing the passengers inside.

rescue workers

The round-the-clock race to retrieve the dead from the debris continued Saturday after a 150-ton slab of concrete was hoisted clear and four bodies were found overnight, bringing the death toll to 102.

Discovery of 4 bodies prompts renewed search

The discovery of more bodily remains prompted police to interrupt their accident investigation while search crews looked for more bodies.

A spokesman for the search and rescue headquarters in the nearby town of Celle said three dead were found in a flattened first-class compartment.

Hours later another body was found in the debris. Five badly injured people have died in hospitals, bringing the toll to 102.

Correspondent Bill Delaney and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:
Latest Headlines

Today on CNN

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not
endorsed by CNN Interactive.

SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

  
 

Back to the top
© 2000 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.