At least one person has been killed and 14 others injured after two commuter trains collided near Munich in southern Germany on Monday, according to local police.

The cause of the crash, which authorities said happened around 4:40 pm local time near the S-Bahn urban rail station of Ebenhausen-Schaeftlarn, southwest of Munich, was not immediately known.

It said emergency services and more than 200 rescue workers had been dispatched to the scene to help those injured, and the route was currently closed for traffic.

The police, however, haven’t so far revealed the identity of the victim who died.

According to local news sources, the two commuter trains slammed into each other on a single-track route.

A leading German daily, Bild, reported that around 95 passengers were on board the two trains, and that a train driver had got trapped in the wreckage.

Passengers told the local Merkur newspaper that they heard a loud sound like an explosion moments before the accident.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said the concerned authorities had started an investigation.

“No assessment can be made about the cause of the accident at this moment,” it said in a statement.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the relatives of the victim of the accident. We wish the injured a speedy and full recovery,” said Heiko Buettner, head of S-Bahn Munich.

Bavarian premier Markus Soeder termed it the “terrible news” and thanked rescue workers for their “quick action”.

According to local media, two S-Bahn trains had come close to a collision in the same area August last year, but both drivers were able to avert an accident.

Sourcies