NZer watches drunk Aussie crushed by train at Oktoberfest

A New Zealand man watched as an Australian he was partying with at Munich's Oktoberfest drunkenly stumbled onto train tracks and was crushed to death by an approaching S-Bahn.

The 25-year-old had just met the 38-year-old teacher Darren Duggan at Europe's largest beer festival and the pair were in an "inebriated condition", police said.

They were walking along the S2 line between the stops at Laim and Moosbach after the festival towards a camping site at Obermenzing when the Australian fell under the train wheels about 1.20am Sunday.

"The two men apparently did not see the approaching S-Bahn before one of them was hit by the engine and fatally injured," a statement said.

The Kiwi, who has not been identified, was unhurt but was treated for shock, police said.

Because the pair had just met, he was unable to provide police with any information about his companion.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman Dave Courtney said neither the department or the New Zealand embassy in Berlin had been approached by the New Zealander for any assistance.

Mr Duggan, who ABC News reported had moved to Germany with his new wife early this year, had joined the 2000-strong Australian tour group 'The Fanatics', which usually organises international sporting trips.

A family member told ABC Mr Duggan taught at the Scots PGC College in Warwick, south-east Queensland and lived in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast before moving to Germany.

His family is based in Brisbane but had travelled to Munich. The Australian Consulate-General in Frankfurt had provided assistance to the family.

Head of The Fanatics, Warren Livingston did not want to elaborate on
the incident.

"The family [is] really distraught and they have asked us not to say
anything yet," he told AAP.

"It's shattering news. It was an accident... Now we're working with local police and authorities to get to the bottom of it."

"It happened on opening weekend, which is also the biggest weekend of the festival."

Drinkers this year downed at least five per cent more beer on the first day than ever before.

Red Cross workers said 790 people were in need of treatment for drink-related injuries or because of excessive alcohol consumption on Saturday, nearly double last year's figure.

Oktoberfest attracts about six million visitors a year who swallow as many litres of beer and bring in 830 million euros ($1.2 billion dollars) to the southern German city.