Hundreds feel the heat as air-conditioning on three trains fails

A HEATWAVE shut down the air-conditioning on three hi-tech trains in Germany at the weekend, leaving dozens of passengers near collapse, trapped in temperatures of up to 50 C.

At least 52 people needed medical treatment and 1,000 had to switch trains, the national railway system, Deutsche Bahn, said yesterday

All three modern ICE trains - whose windows do not open - were heading west from Berlin on Saturday. While two lost their air-conditioning fairly close to a station and could be emptied quickly, a third heated up some distance before reaching the city of Bielefeld.

A Deutsche Bahn spokesman said eight people suffering from heat exhaustion needed hospital treatment in Bielefeld and another 44 were treated on the train. Ninety-one rescue staff called to Bielefeld station had to treat passengers who were suffering from hyperventilation, vertigo, overheating, headaches, and other symptoms, local firefighters said.