At least five people were killed and around a dozen injured in an accident involving a bus on a German motorway near Leipzig on Wednesday, police told AFP.
The bus came off the A9 motorway and overturned in the morning between Wiedemar and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz motorway junction, police said.
Emergency services attended to the injured at the scene and the motorway was closed in both directions, German authorities said. The A9 motorway is an important north-south route between Berlin and Munich.
The bus, which belonged to German travel company Flixbus, was on its way from Berlin to Zurich.
There were 53 passengers and two drivers on board, the budget operator said.
“The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known,” Flixbus said.
“We are of course working closely with the local authorities and the emergency services on site and will do everything in our power to clarify the cause of the accident quickly and completely,” it said.
Flixbus, which runs long distance domestic and international bus services through Germany, has previously been involved in several fatal traffic accidents.
Last fall, one died and 20 were injured when a bus overturned in Austria. Another previous accident occurred near Leipzig.
Advertisement
Emergency response efforts
The bus was righted at noon with the help of harnesses, allowing emergency response persons to be able to rescue further occupants. The event was fenced off by mobile privacy screens.
Hospitals in the area prepared for a large-scale operation. The emergency room is alerted and operating rooms and diagnostic rooms are being prepared and maintained, a spokesman for the Deaconess Hospital in Leipzig told DPA.
In addition, the control centre has been informed of the capacities available for the admission of patients.
Saxony’s Transport Minister Martin Dulig expressed dismay: “My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and injured. I would like to thank the many emergency services on site who provide quick assistance.”
With reporting by DPA.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Locals
