Image copyright EPA Image caption One of the freight train's trailers was seen badly damaged by the collision

Eight people are now confirmed dead after Wednesday's train crash in Denmark, making it the country's worst rail accident in decades.

Police added two to the death toll on Thursday, and there are also more than a dozen injured.

The commuter train is believed to have been hit by a trailer from a passing freight train during a heavy storm.

Both trains were crossing the Great Belt Bridge at the time, which connects Denmark's two biggest islands.

Five women and three men were killed, all adults, police said, a number matching the eight people reported missing by their relatives yesterday.

Police said they were close to identifying four of the deceased, but that DNA and dental record testing would have to be carried out on some bodies due to the extent of their injuries.

Investigators said they were also sure there no further fatalities to come.

Initially, the rail network operator said some sort of "debris" had hit the train. But Danish media now report that the suspected cause is a truck trailer which moved from its resting place on a freight car during high winds.

Image copyright EPA Image caption One freight car is seen vacant in this photo, with reports suggesting its contents may have fallen off in high winds

Police have yet to make any formal announcement about the cause.

The accident happened at about 07:35 local time (06:35 GMT) on Wednesday, on the commuter train from Odense to the capital, Copenhagen.

Passenger Jim Nielson told CNN he was on his way to the airport after the Christmas holiday, travelling on the train's second coach.

"There was a cargo train coming from Zealand, the opposite direction. It was shaking due to the strong wind," he said.

"One of the containers was blown off the cargo train into the rails, because of the wind. Our driver tried to stop the train, pulling the brake. But the train continued to drive a bit, and crashed into the container blown off from the cargo," he said.

There were 131 passengers and three crew members on board at the time of the accident.

The Great Belt Bridge is an important link in Denmark's transport network, linking the island of Zealand, where the capital city lies, with Funen to the west.</s>fottodk/iStock(LONDON) — Six people have died and 16 more were injured in Denmark after debris detached from a cargo train and hit a passenger express train on the Great Belt Bridge, authorities said Wednesday.

The trains were on parallel tracks but traveling in opposite directions, Deutsche Bahn, the cargo train operator, told ABC News.

The accident took place around 7:35 a.m. local time. The area was experiencing high winds and powerful waves caused by Storm Alfrida.

There were 131 passengers and three crew members on board the train.

The Great Belt Bridge connects the western island of Funen with the island of Zealand to the east. The bridge has now reopened for road traffic in both directions but remains closed to trains, police said in a tweet. Commuters have been advised to not slow down or take any pictures or video of the accident site in order to “have respect for the dead and injured.”

The Denmark Accident Investigation unit and Funen police have launched a joint investigation into the accident. The express commuter train departed from Aarhus at 5:19 a.m. local time and was headed for Copenhagen.

The cargo train involved in the incident was shipping goods for the beer company Carlsberg. Kasper Elbjorn, a spokesman for Carlsberg, told ABC News the company would be doing “everything to help.”

“Deutsche Bahn Cargo, the shipper of our goods has unfortunately confirmed to us that cargo train carrying our goods was involved in the accident,” Elbjorn said. “We are deeply concerned about the accident. Our compassion goes to all involved.”

Jan Wildau, a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn Cargo Scandinavia, told ABC News that it would be fully cooperating with the investigation. The cargo train had been traveling to the Carlsberg Brewery in Frederecia, he said. The train had received the green light to cross the bridge from Banedanmark, the company in charge of train traffic control, he added.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said his thoughts were with the victims and their families and he thanked the authorities for their response to the accident.

“The morning’s tragic accident on the Great Belt Bridge with many fatalities and wounded has shaken us all together,” Rasmussen said in a statement. “Ordinary Danes on their way to work or home from Christmas holidays have broken their lives.”

The prime minister of neighboring Sweden also expressed his condolences for the victims.

“Terrible train accident on Great Belt Bridge in Denmark as a result of the Storm Alfrida,” Stefan Löfven said in a tweet. “Our thoughts are with the injured and with the families and relatives of the dead. I have also said this in the morning to my fellow prime Minister, Mr Lars Løkke Rasmussen.”</s>Six people have died and 16 more were injured in Denmark after debris detached from a cargo train and hit a passenger express train on the Great Belt Bridge.</s>Six people were killed and 16 others injured on Wednesday morning after a train accident on a bridge linking the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen.

According to Danish media reports cited by Agence France-Presse news agency, the roof of a cargo train blew off in heavy winds and hit a passenger train crossing the Great Belt Bridge in the opposite direction, towards Copenhagen, prompting it to brake suddenly.

Other outlets described the object as a "tarpaulin."

A police spokeswoman said the passenger train "hit an unknown object," but did not further comment.

There were at least 131 passengers and three employees on board the train when the accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. CET (0630 UTC), reported the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR).

"There was a loud crash and the windows started smashing onto our heads. We flew down onto the floor, and then the train stopped," passenger Heidi Langberg Zumbusch told DR.

Photos published by TV 2 News showed damage to the interior of the passenger train.

A severe storm in Denmark initially made it difficult for emergency services to reach the train.

The bridge, linking Denmark's two major islands, was closed to traffic, and it was unclear when it would reopen. There were several helicopters at the scene of the accident, reported Denmark's TV 2.

Police and the Danish Accident Investigation Board are investigating the incident.

A crisis center has been opened in the nearby city of Nyborg to care for injured passengers.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>At least six people have died after a train crash on a bridge in Denmark.

The tragedy happened at around 7.30am on the Great Belt Bridge in Nyborg, Danish media states.

The train was hit by an object - said to be a tarpaulin - from a passing freight train, forcing it to brake suddenly.

A huge emergency operation is underway, with the local hospital in Odense launching a crisis response.

According to broadcaster DR there were 131 passengers and three staff members onboard.

Were you on the train? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

Rail operator DSB is currently unable to confirm how many people were injured on the train, which was bound for the island of Funen in the south of the country.

The Great Belt Bridge - which links the islands of Zealand and Funen - has been closed, and it is unclear when it will reopen.

It transports tens of thousands of people each day.

It is thought the object struck the train during a heavy storm.

A shelter has been set up in nearby Nyborg for people injured in the collision.

Pictures from the scene show a train bearing the Carlsberg logo which appears to be badly damaged.

One passenger on the train, Simon Voldsgaard Tøndering, told DR that people on board had been evacuated.

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We're also on Facebook/dailymirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Mirror Online.</s>COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Six people were killed in a rail accident on a bridge linking Denmark’s two main islands on Wednesday when a train was hit by debris from a passing freight train, officials said.

Police said 16 people were injured. The train heading towards the capital with 131 passengers on board when it was hit by what could have been tarpaulin, said Banedanmark, which maintains and controls traffic on the railway network.

“There was a very, very loud bang and then the train stopped,” a witness who had been onboard the train with his daughter told broadcaster TV2.

The accident happened shortly before 7.35 a.m. (0635 GMT), police said in a statement, adding that police and emergency workers were at the scene.

A Carlsberg spokesman said a freight train operated by DB Cargo, the logistics arm of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, carrying goods for Carlsberg between its Fredericia brewery and Copenhagen, had been involved in the accident.

A severe storm made it difficult for emergency services to reach the train which had stopped on the Great Belt fixed link between Zealand and Funen, Denmark’s two major islands.

An emergency centre was established in the town of Nyborg at the western end of the bridge. Fatal accidents are rare on the country’s highly developed rail network.

“Terrible train accident on the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark as a result of the storm Alfrida. Our thoughts are with the injured and with the families and relatives of the dead,” Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said in a tweet.

The bridge was closed for both trains and vehicles towards the island of Funen, while car traffic towards Zealand had opened again.

The 18-kilometre long bridge across the Great Belt carries around 21,000 train passengers every day and more than 27,000 vehicles crosses the bridge each day.

The bridge is part of infrastructure that links Denmark and Sweden to Germany.</s>Six people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday morning after a train accident on a bridge linking the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen, according to Danish rail operator DSB.

Police told a news conference it could not confirm the death toll or disclose how many people were injured.

Danish media reported that a tarpaulin on a freight train hit a passenger train heading in the opposite direction on the Great Belt Bridge towards Copenhagen, prompting it to brake suddenly.

There were at least 131 passengers and three employees on board the train when the accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. CET (0630 UTC), reported the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR).

Photos published by TV 2 News showed damage to the interior of the passenger train.

A severe storm in Denmark was making it difficult for emergency services to reach the train, which has closed the bridge linking Denmark's two major islands. There were several helicopters at the scene of the accident, reported Denmark's TV 2.

A crisis center has been opened in the nearby city of Nyborg to care for injured passengers.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Six people have died and 16 others were injured in a train accident on a bridge linking two islands in Denmark on Wednesday, police said.

The accident involving a freight train and a passenger train took place at 7.35 am local time on the lower section of the Great Belt Bridge between the islands of Zealand and Funen.

All the injured, none of whom were in life-threatening condition, have been taken to the Odense Hospital for treatment, a police spokesperson told reporters.

The passenger train had been traveling to the Danish capital Copenhagen and the cargo train had been bound for the island of Funen, in the opposite direction.

Funen police chief Lars Braemhoj said the cause of the accident was not yet known but confirmed that goods had fallen onto the tracks and the passenger train had driven into them, causing "considerable" damage.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement the accident had "shaken us all" and that his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

Danish train operator DSB, which earlier told local media that six people had died, said 134 people had been on board the train from Copenhagen.

Those who were not injured were taken to a sports center in Nyborg on Funen island.

Car traffic on the top section of the bridge has since resumed, according to police, after it all traffic across the bridge was halted in light of the serious incident.

The clean-up operation was ongoing at the scene, with police urging motorists not to stop and take photographs.</s>COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Six people were killed in a train accident on a bridge linking two of Denmark’s main islands on Wednesday, train operator DSB said.

The passenger train was heading towards the capital when it was hit by objects or tarpaulin from a freight train, according to Banedanmark, which is responsible for maintenance and traffic control of the railway network.

A severe storm made it difficult for emergency services to reach the train which had stopped on the Great Belt fixed link between Zealand and Funen, Denmark’s two major islands.

Police told a press conference it could not confirm the death toll or disclose how many people were injured.

An emergency center was established in the town of Nyborg at the western end of the bridge. Fatal accidents are rare on the country’s highly developed rail network.

The bridge was closed for both trains and vehicles towards the island of Funen, while car traffic towards Zealand had opened again.

The 18-kilometer long bridge across the Great Belt carries around 21,000 train passengers every day and more than 27,000 vehicles crosses the bridge each day.

The bridge is part of infrastructure that links Denmark and Sweden to Germany.</s>COPENHAGEN: Six people were killed when a passenger train hit a freight trailer that had blown off a wagon coming the other way on a bridge linking Denmark's two main islands on Wednesday, officials said.

The train with 131 passengers on board was heading towards the capital, Copenhagen, when it hit the trailer. Apart from the dead, 16 people were injured but were not in critical condition, police said.

The accident happened shortly before 7.35 a.m. (0635 GMT) during a severe storm that hampered the rescue operation on the 18-km (11-mile) Great Belt Bridge between Zealand and Funen, Denmark's two major islands.

"This morning's tragic accident on the Great Belt Bridge with many killed and wounded has shaken us all," Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen tweeted.

"Ordinary Danes on their way to work or on the way home from Christmas holidays have had their lives shattered."

A preliminary investigation by the Danish Accident Investigation Board showed a trailer had blown off a freight wagon onto the oncoming tracks, a spokesman said.

"There was a very, very loud bang and then the train stopped," a witness who had been onboard the train with his daughter told broadcaster TV2.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven blamed the weather. "Terrible train accident on the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark as a result of the storm Alfrida. Our thoughts are with the injured and with the families and relatives of the dead," he tweeted.

TV footage showed a severely damaged freight trailer adorned with the logo of Danish beer maker Carlsberg. Crates of beer could be seen inside.

A train operated by DB Cargo, the logistics arm of Germany's Deutsche Bahn which carries goods from Carlsberg's Fredericia brewery to Copenhagen, was involved in the accident, a Carlsberg spokesman said.

DB Cargo was on site and "doing its utmost to support the investigation", Deutsche Bahn said in a statement. A spokesman said the trailers were fastened to the railcars with metal rods, a system in use across Europe.

The bridge remained closed for trains while car traffic in both directions resumed. Danish rail operator Banedanmark said it did not expect rail traffic by to resume before Thursday.

The Great Belt, part of a route that links Denmark and Sweden to Germany, carries around 21,000 train passengers and more than 27,000 vehicles each day.
An express train crashes into an object dropped from a cargo train on the Great Belt Bridge between Funen and Zealand in Denmark, killing at least eight people and leaving several injured.