Three people were killed and 16 severely injured when a regional train derailed in southern Germany on Friday, police and local officials said.

A police spokesperson, who did not have any details on the fatalities, said the Munich-bound train had been quite full at the time of the crash north of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a ski resort in Bavaria that is also popular with hikers.

In total, 60 people were hurt in the accident, said a Garmisch-Partenkirchen district office spokesperson.

There were multiple school students on board the train, the regional Muenchener Merkur newspaper cited local paper the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Tagblatt as reporting.

Pictures on social media showed carriages of a double-decker regional train stuck between tree branches and rolled down an embankment, as well as people being carried away on stretchers and standing around on the tracks.

A major emergency services operation was still under way, police said, and the rail line was currently completely closed.Regional trains have seen higher passenger numbers since June 1, when a ticket allowing Germany-wide travel came into effect.