A high tech magnetic train smashed into a maintenance vehicle on a test run in northern Germany today, killing 23 people, authorities said.
The elevated Transrapid, one of the world's fastest trains, collided with a maintenance truck and its two-man crew at a speed of at least 200 km per hour on the track in the Emsland district of Germany near the Dutch border.
"We have found 23 dead, and there are 10 injured who will be taken care of in hospital, whose lives are not in danger," a police spokesman said.
Another official said the rescue operation was over. The passengers were acquaintances of Transrapid workers and employees of utility group RWE. ZDF television said the impact of the crash made the bodies difficult to identify.
The train's operating authority, IABG, said initial findings suggested the crash had been the result of human error. It said it had found no evidence of any technical failure.
The crash occurred at around 10am on a 32-km figure-of-eight circuit built as a test facility for the train, which floats on a magnetic cushion.
Television pictures showed debris from the crash, including what appeared to be parts of the roof and upholstery from the interior of the train, strewn for around 300 metres along the sides of the elevated track.