Train crash leaves 47 wounded in Germany's Düsseldorf

Several people were injured after a passenger train hit a freight train near Düsseldorf, German police said Tuesday.

The accident occurred near the train station in the town of Meerbusch in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous region, the Bild newspaper said on its website.

Emergency crews were on the scene and were helping unload people from the passenger train.

Authorities say three people suffered serious injuries, three had slightly less serious injuries and another 41 were mildly injured. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

A photo tweeted by the Meerbusch fire department showed the passenger train partially derailed but still upright.

There was no immediate reason given for the crash.

"DB (Deutsche Bahn), the relevant authorities and the rescue services are working at the scene to provide urgent assistance to those affected and to clarify the situation," the rail operator said.

The regional express train carrying passengers is run by the privately-owned British operator National Express, while the cargo train is operated by DB Cargo, it added.

On its Twitter feed, the Meerbusch fire department said it believed the National Express train had around 150 passengers on board at the time of the incident.

It tweeted a picture showing the train's moderately damaged first carriage, while the other blue-and-white carriages appeared unaffected.

The train was still standing upright on the tracks.

"Given the circumstances the situation is relatively calm. The firefighters are in contact with people on the train," the fire department added.

In another tweet, it said access to the train had been hampered by ruptured contact wires but that this was being resolved.

In May, seven people were lightly injured when a regional train derailed in eastern Germany.