By Agence France-Presse

Danish accident investigators on Thursday said a train crash on a wind-battered bridge that killed eight people in January was caused by a poorly-attached container.

The accident, which also injured 16 people, happened when a container from a cargo train smashed into a passenger train traveling in the opposite direction in strong winds on the Great Belt Bridge linking the islands of Zealand, where Copenhagen is located, and Funen.

“It is likely that the tether (of the container) to the trailer had not been secured as it should,” the country’s Accident Investigation Bureau said in a preliminary report published Thursday.

It also found that high winds were strong enough to have dislodged the container.

“The wind was sufficient to overturn the trailer that day. We are relying on other observations such as the sparks and the discovery of detached pieces,” said Bo Haaning, of the accident investigation office, speaking on public television.

The inquiry found that two other containers had not been attached properly and had moved.