We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again.

German police initially reported that about 50 people had been injured after a passenger train drove into a freight train in the town of Meerbusch in Nordrhein-Westfalen region of Germany.

The Meerbusch fire department later said up to 150 passengers were on the train and that 5 people suffered injuries.

Residents reported hearing a "bang" as the trains collided, which was so loud that the windows shook.

The railway confirmed a National Express train and a freight train from DB Cargo are involved in the collision.

A National Express spokesman said: "The driver noticed an obstacle on the open track and immediately initiated a rapid braking. Then he left the cab and informed the passengers. "