Man clings onto side of 99mph German train after accidentally leaving luggage inside

Passenger 'lucky to be alive', say German officials

A German high-speed (ICE) train (AFP/Getty Images)

A man survived clinging onto the side of a German high speed train for 15 miles, officials have said.

The Romanian man, realising he had left his luggage on the train in Bielefeld, north Germany, jumped onto a ledge on the side of the train, which travelled at almost 100 mph.

Luckily, the driver was alerted to his presence and was able to make an emergency stop at the nearest station.

The passenger was not injured, according to officials, and was able to continue his journey on to Hanover.

"The 59-year-old man thanks the rail personnel for the fact that he is still alive," a police spokesperson told the BBC.

Police are expected to question the man, but it is unclear if any charges will be brought against him.

Earlier this month, a 23-year-old man was arrested after a similar incident in Perth, Australia.

At the time, a spokesman for the city's Public Transport Authority said:

"He was clinging on to a windscreen wiper — were he to fall it's a very unfriendly and unreceptive surface with ballast and rail and concrete sleepers, he would have almost certainly been killed, if not badly injured."