Tragedy surrounding married couple

Many questions still unanswered after fatal train accident

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/Krone KREATIV)

The day after the tragic accident in which a couple from Serbia living in the Tyrolean Zillertal were hit and killed by a train, the tragedy is still occupying the emergency services. The community of Kaltenbach is deeply shocked, as the mayor tells the "Krone" newspaper.

It was a terrible sight for the emergency services to witness on Tuesday evening in Kaltenbach. A Serbian couple (60 and 59 years old) were walking along the Zillertaler Dörferstraße (L300) to dispose of an ice chest at the nearby building yard.

The terrible accident occurred shortly before 6 pm.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/Krone KREATIV)

It was a difficult operation for the firefighters.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/Krone KREATIV)

Dead at the scene of the accident
As they had left the cycle path or footpath and were about to cross a level crossing, the two were hit by a Zillertalbahn train. The man and his wife were thrown several meters onto an adjacent embankment and seriously injured. Despite immediate first aid measures, they died at the scene of the accident.

The mood is already very subdued when people have to lose their lives because of a tragic accident. There is a lot of talk and discussion about it.

Klaus Gasteiger, BM Gemeinde Kaltenbach

Bild: ZOOM Tirol

Grief in the community
The day after, there was a mood of mourning in the community, as Mayor Klaus Gasteiger told the "Krone" newspaper: "The mood is very subdued when people have to lose their lives because of a tragic accident. There is a lot of talk and discussion about it."

The route here is almost a straight line. The cycle and footpath is always illuminated at certain points.

Engelbert Eberharter, Kommandant PI Ried im Zillertal

Bild: ZOOM Tirol

"An inconspicuous spot"
Gasteiger notes that there has never been an accident on this scale at this point, on the contrary: "It's an inconspicuous spot." This is also confirmed by Engelbert Eberharter, commander of the Ried im Zillertal police station: "The route here is almost a straight line. The cycle and footpath is always illuminated at certain points." A nearby company premises would also provide additional, low-level brightness with its light.

Clear procedure for such crossings
Although the crossing itself is not gated, it is secured with a St. Andrew's cross and a kind of detour corridor or diversion grid. According to Eberharter, the procedure is clear: "The pedestrian must stop, look and only then can they leave."

So far, it is clear that the couple wanted to carry the ice chest to the building yard and dispose of it there. The next few days should bring more clarity, as Eberharter explains: "Everything else will be determined by the experts and further investigations." According to Eberharter, the chest is likely to have remained undamaged and was apparently already on the opposite side at the time of the accident. For example, a roll of the chest could have got caught in the rail guide or stuck in an iron grate.

Further defusing planned?
The municipality also wants to wait and see and discuss the situation with those responsible. According to Gasteiger, everything went correctly on the part of the Zillertalbahn. Can or should the area still be defused? "We will look into this together with the Zillertalbahn at a later date. But the question is whether we can or should do anything at all," says the head of the municipality.

Autopsy ordered
At the time of the accident, the train was probably traveling at a speed of around 60 km/h and was sparsely occupied. Passengers, the train driver and the conductor were uninjured. The crisis intervention team was alerted. An autopsy of the two deceased was ordered.

Witnesses to the tragic accident are urgently requested to contact the Ried im Zillertal police station (Tel. [phone]).