Two dead after cruise ship collides with bridge in south Germany

Two crew members have been killed after their cruise ship collided with a bridge in southern Germany on Sunday morning (11 September).

The ship rammed into a rail bridge crushing the driver's cabin and killing its 49-year-old driver and a 33-year-old sailor.

The other 47 crew members and 181 passengers aboard were left unharmed.

The boat had just departed from the town of Erlangen and was travelling along the Main Danube Canal when the crash occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The ship had been en route to the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

Police said the cause of the crash was unknown and was still being investigated.

"For reasons not known so far the driver's cabin of the ship collided with a bridge, and two crew members, 33 and 49-years-old, were killed," police spokesman Michael Petzold said.

"The two men had to be freed with heavy equipment by firefighters."

Passengers were left trapped on the ship for several hours while rescue teams worked to extend a rescue bridge.