Status: 03.06.2023 12:00 p.m
On June 3, 1998, 101 people died in Eschede in the worst train accident in Germany to date, and another 105 were injured. Hundreds gathered in the morning to commemorate the victims.
The bereaved came together with representatives from politics, the railways and public life at the memorial that commemorates the victims. They paused in silence at 10:59 a.m., the time 25 years ago the ICE disaster happened. Among the guests was Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). He said there were few words for the scale, impact and suffering suffered by victims, families, loved ones and friends. His Lower Saxony counterpart Olaf Lies (SPD) emphasized that humanity was not just lip service in Eschede 25 years ago. Heinrich Löwen, spokesman for the bereaved, was also one of the speakers. He described the catastrophe as a turning point. “Since then, our lives have been shaped by this accident.” The 78-year-old lost his wife and daughter in the accident.
State bishop prays for those killed, survivors and bereaved
The Hanoverian Bishop Ralf Meister said a prayer for the bereaved, the dead and for the survivors, some of whom were seriously injured, for the helpers and the people in Eschede, who had shown great solidarity after the accident. “We stand before you with the images and feelings that have never been extinguished and ask for your mercy,” said the evangelical bishop. During the memorial hour on Saturday morning, trains passed the memorial at a significantly reduced speed. The commemoration of the train accident had already begun on Friday evening with a service. There, among others, the survivor Udo Bauch interceded. Bauch said the catastrophe changed his life – and yet he was grateful to have stayed alive.
Broken wheel tire triggers catastrophe in 1998
The ICE 884 “Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen” was on its way from Munich to Hamburg on June 3, 1998. At a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, not far from Celle, a wheel tire on the third axle of the first car broke. This got stuck in front of a concrete bridge in Eschede at a switch, the ICE derailed and crashed into the bridge. There were 300 people on the train at the time, 101 of them lost their lives and 105 passengers were injured. The ICE accident in Eschede is still one of the world‘s worst accidents involving high-speed trains.
Further information
