Stuttgart, 2 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Parts of a long-distance train carrying 185 passengers derailed in south-western Germany late on Saturday after the railway tracks were hit by a landslide caused by heavy rainfall.

No one was injured and the passengers were evacuated from the train early on Sunday, according to a spokesman for the national railway operator.

By mid-afternoon on Sunday, recovery teams were able to clear one side of the track, but the line was still closed to high-speed traffic.

The landslide came down in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, some 50 kilometres east of the city of Stuttgart.

The train's first two carriages jumped off the tracks at around 11:20 pm (2120 GMT) but did not tip over, according to the railway spokesman.

The mudslide was around 30 metres wide and also hit a road running parallel to the train tracks, the spokesman said.

A car was affected but the driver was unharmed, he added.

The derailed long-distance train is back on the tracks and is due to be towed away, a railway spokeswoman said.

The train had been rerouted between the cities of Ulm and Stuttgart due to flooding in the region, according to the spokeswoman.

Following the landslide, all long-distance services between Stuttgart and Munich were suspended. It is still unclear how long the disturbance will last.

Large parts of southern Germany were affected by severe rainstorms on Saturday, leading many towns to declare states of emergency as rivers swelled and floods rose.

Photo: dpa