At least eight people were killed in a train accident on the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark. A passenger train was hit by tarpaulin or objects that fell from a passing freight train on Wednesday morning, just after 7:30am.

Because of the accident, another sixteen people were injured according to the police. The passenger train was on the way to Copenhagen. The freight train was headed towards Funen. The bridge is a 18-kilometre long passage connecting the islands Funen and Seeland. One part of the bridge is lower than the other part.

Cause of accident

The cause of the accident is still unknown. According to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the passenger train was hit by parts of the roof of truck trailers on the freight train, which passed on the higher section of the bridge. The passenger train then came to a standstill. Images show that the freight train involved transported crates of beer. The side of several wagons has been torn open.

According to news agency Ritzau, it is the most serious rail accident in Denmark since 1988. Heavy rail accidents are a rarity in the country. Every day about 21,000 passengers travel by train over the 18-kilometer-long Great Belt Bridge between the islands of Zealand and Funen. The passenger train had more than 130 passengers on board, says railway company DSB.