A train accident in southwestern Germany that killed at least three people Sunday was likely caused by a landslide triggered by heavy rain, police said Monday.
"The water triggered a landslide in the embankment area near the tracks, which in turn probably caused the derailment," investigators said.
Three people were killed when a regional train carrying some 100 people derailed near Riedlingen, some 160 kilometres west of Munich, on Sunday evening.
Police forensic experts were set to examine the crash site Monday morning to determine exactly how the accident unfolded, a spokesman said.
It was initially unclear whether the train's tachograph had already been recovered from the vehicle.
According to initial findings, heavy rainfall in the area first caused a sewage shaft to overflow. The water then likely triggered a landslide which cascaded down onto the railway line, according to the police spokesman.
Mud and debris covered the tracks, causing the regional train to derail a few meters later, he said.
Those killed in the accident include the train driver, another employee of Deutsche Bahn, Germany's state-owned rail operator, and a passenger, according to police.
At least 41 people were injured, according to the latest information from investigators.
On Sunday night, local district fire chief Charlotte Ziller had spoken of 50 people injured in the crash, including 25 seriously.
The affected RE 55 train had been travelling from Sigmaringen to Ulm in the state of Baden-Würrtemberg when the accident occurred.
Parts of the line have remained closed since the accident and it was initially unclear when it would reopen.
Deutsche Bahn chief Richard Lutz as well as Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and the state premier of Baden-Würrtemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, were expected to visit the site Monday.
