Sharjah 24 – AFP: At least three people were killed and several others injured on Friday as a train derailed near a Bavarian Alpine resort in southern Germany, police said.

"In the serious train accident, as of 1:55 pm (1155 GMT), three people were fatally injured and an undetermined number of other train passengers hurt," said police in a statement.

Images published by local media showed several crumpled train carriages on their sides.

A rescue operation was ongoing, a police spokesman said.

The train had just left Garmisch-Partenkirchen for Munich, when the accident took place in the Burgrain district of the resort town.

Part of the route between Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen has been blocked off and traffic diverted, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said.

Popular mountain resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen and its surrounding regions are gearing up to host the G7 summit of world leaders later this month.

Three helicopters from Austria's Tyrol region have been scrambled to the scene to provide first aid, according to media reports.