6 killed, 16 injured in train accident in Denmark

Six people were killed and 16 others injured in a train accident over a bridge linking two of Denmark's main islands on Wednesday morning, according to reports by the Swedish Television.

A tarpaulin on a freight train was blown off by strong wind and hit a high-speed passenger train going in the opposite direction on the Great Belt Bridge, prompting it to brake suddenly.

All the victims were passengers on the commuter train going from the city of Odense, on the central Danish island of Fyn, to the capital city of Copenhagen when the accident took place about 7:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT).

Images from inside the train showed broken glass and damages.

The local hospital in Odense has launched a crisis response and an evacuation center has been set up at the west end of the bridge, reports said.

Police said it was difficult for emergency vehicles to arrive at the scene and asked the public to make room for emergency services on their way to the road-and-rail bridge.