At least five people have been killed and others injured in a highway crash involving a coach near the eastern German city of Leipzig.
The FlixBus coach veered onto the busy A9 motorway before falling onto its side. It had departed from Berlin with two drivers and 53 passengers and was en route to Nuremberg bound for Zurich, the airline confirmed.
Officials in the state of Saxony said their thoughts are with the victims.
Germany: at least five dead in Flixbus accident on highway pic.twitter.com/NekFHy6dOZ
— Le Soir (@lesoir) March 27, 2024
FlixBus operates coach routes in Europe and beyond. He said the accident happened around 10:00 (local time).
Germany: Several dead in Flixbus crash on autobahn #BREAKING #BREAKINGNEWS #BREAKING_NEWS pic.twitter.com/Qx1y78o47H
— 🚨 Pointman Alerts (@PointmanAlerts) March 27, 2024
The bus had already been on the road for two hours when the accident happened at an intersection near Leipzig/Halle airport, in the northwest of the city.
“The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known,” the company said in a statement.
Germany, Flixbus overturns on the A9 motorway near Leipzig, between Wiedemar and Schkeuditzer Kreuz: at least 5 dead and numerous injured, many of them in serious conditions. 53 passengers and two drivers on board – AFP @ultimaranet pic.twitter.com/EVfNwOtVOc
— Ultimara.net (@ultimoranet) March 27, 2024
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this accident and their families,” he added.
Police said rescue helicopters and a large number of ambulances were immediately called to the scene. Local hospitals were alerted to prepare for a serious emergency.
Buses have collided before on the A9 motorway near Leipzig, most recently in December. One person was killed in a separate accident in 2019.
#Germany #Road #accident #overturned #coach #dead
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