Two killed after train crashes into track workers in Germany

Two people have been killed and several others have been treated for shock after a train crash near the western German city of Cologne.

The train is understood to have crashed into a group of people who were working on the tracks near the town of Huerth at around 11am local time, the German news agency dpa reported.

Emergency workers, police and psychologists attended the scene and the route was closed to further train traffic.

Five people experienced psychological trauma after witnessing two of their colleagues being hit and killed, dpa reported.

A police spokesperson said several people were also injured, though officers could not give an exact number.

The spokesperson added that the train had been heading from Cologne to the city of Koblenz.

Fire service rescue teams were treating the injured while care was also being offered to the passengers on board who were initially not allowed to leave the train.

Regional newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported that besides a large police presence, 10 ambulances, four emergency doctors and 35 fire service personnel were also on the scene.

Following the incident, the line between Huerth-Kalscheuren station and the town of Bruehl has been closed.