Seven die in German rail crashes

VILSECK, Germany -- Seven people died in Germany on Friday in two separate crashes involving vehicles attempting to cross tracks ahead of speeding trains.

Police in Bavaria said four people were killed when a local train slammed into their car near Dillingen in southern Germany and pushed the crumpled vehicle 200 metres (yards) down the track.

The train derailed and 16 passengers suffered slight injuries.

Hours earlier, three people died and at least 18 were injured near Vilseck in the Upper Palatinate region when a regional train collided with a U.S. army truck as it attempted to cross the tracks.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. military said two Germans and one U.S. soldier were killed. Another soldier was seriously injured.

The crash happened at around 8.30 a.m. (0630 GMT) at a level crossing near the Czech border, as the train travelled from Weiden to Nuremberg. Police said the barrier was down.

"The train came to a stop around 300 metres (yards) beyond the level crossing, partially because parts of the truck had become lodged underneath the train," police spokesman Franz Peter Klinger told German television.

An emergency services spokesman said fire broke out in the train, but was brought under control.

The train was carrying 25 passengers, a spokesman for German railway operator Deutsche Bahn told Reuters.

Deutsche Bahn's safety record has been the subject of much public attention since 101 people died in Eschede when a high-speed train travelling through north Germany was derailed after a suspected wheel fault.