Weddel, Germany  - A train with travelling Hanover 96 fans on board was attacked by a group of 20-30 people suspected to be rival fans on the weekend, police said on Monday.

Police said that the incident occurred on Saturday night when the train stopped in the northern German town of Weddel. The masked attackers used iron bars, baseball bats and wooden planks as they created substantial damage to a coach and the station.

A police spokesman said it was a miracle that no one was injured.

Because some of them were considered violent the Hanover fans were accompanied by a group of 35 police officers, who managed to keep the fans apart. The attackers are suspected to be fans from Eintracht Braunschweig.

The Hanover fans were returning from a fourth division match at Babelsberg.

It was the latest violent incident which has plagued lower-league football matches in Germany in recent weeks.(dpa)