A train driver died in an accident involving two freight trains near Münster in southern Hesse.

The accident happened around 4 a.m. in the morning on the open road, said a spokesman for the federal police on Thursday.

According to initial findings, one of the freight trains was stationary or was driving very slowly.

The other train ran into the vehicle.

The collision caused the locomotive and parts of the freight train to derail.

The driver was trapped in the derailed locomotive and died at the scene of the accident.

There was also catenary damage on the route, the spokesman said.

It is still unclear whether this is related to the accident.

Officers from the federal police, the fire brigades from Dieburg, Münster, Babenhausen and Pfungstadt and emergency services from the state police are on duty at the scene of the accident.

Since the work will take a long time, there will continue to be disruptions in train traffic.

The investigations into the cause of the accident are still ongoing and will ultimately be carried out by the Federal Police Inspectorate in Frankfurt am Main.