Berlin. Serious Flixbus accident on the A9 near Leipzig: Four people are dead, many injured. The rescue work continues.
- After the bus accident on the A9 near Leipzig, investigators are looking for the cause
- The bus that started in Berlin on Wednesday morning came off the highway, raced over the shoulder and then tipped over on its side
- Four people were killed and over 30 injured. Many questions are unclear
At a Accident with a Flixbus coach on the A9 Four people died near Leipzig on Wednesday. After the bus accident, many questions remain unanswered: Investigators are currently focusing on researching the causes. Numerous witness interviews are pending, as a spokeswoman for the Leipzig Police Department said on Thursday when asked. All injured people who are being treated in a hospital should also be interviewed, provided their state of health allows it. Meanwhile, another coach crashed in Germany on Friday: this time a tour group with students from a vocational college was affected, and over 20 people were injured.
Read here:Flixbus accident near Leipzig – traveler describes misfortune.
In the case of the fatal Flixbus accident on the A9, the police have announced the identities of three of the four fatalities. A 47-year-old Polish woman, a 20-year-old Indonesian woman living in Berlin and a 19-year-old from Bavaria died in the accident, the police announced on Thursday. Another woman who died at the scene of the accident has not yet been positively identified.
There was confusion about the number of passengers on the Flixbus. 53 people had checked in in Berlin. There were also the two bus drivers. However, the police are said to have only counted 52 passengers that evening. The “PICTURE“ reports that there are even further contradictions: On Thursday morning the fire department announced that three (!) people who were said to have been sitting on the bus had not yet been found. Even Thermal imaging cameras were in use. The fire department’s conclusion after hours of searching: “Until the end it could not be clarified whether the missing people had even gotten on the bus.”
Different information about the number of victims was already circulating on Wednesday. In the meantime, the police had spoken of five deaths, but the number was confirmed late on Wednesday evening corrected to four. A person thought to be dead is still in a life-threatening condition. According to police, at least 30 other passengers were injured.
Flixbus accident on A9: dispute between bus drivers?
The traffic police inspection has started an investigation on suspicion of negligent homicide. According to the bus company, the driver of the bus is said to have adhered to all driving and rest times. “There were two drivers on board, the driver on duty had been driving the bus since it left Berlin at 8 a.m.,” it said. According to police, he is not among the dead.
According to witnesses, there were problems right from the start of the journey. First, the bus driver got lost and had to slam on the brakes, a witness told the “Leipziger Volkszeitung”. Afterwards, the bus driver repeatedly discussed loudly with his colleague. The “Bild” newspaper then speculated whether this dispute could have been the cause of the accident.
The Flixbus was started in Berlin on Wednesday morning and was on the way to Zurich. 53 passengers and two bus drivers are said to have been on board. The accident then occurred between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz on the A9:
According to initial findings, the double-decker bus left the road for an unknown reason on a straight route between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz. The vehicle then raced almost 100 meters across the grass verge, rolling down bushes and small trees and finally crashing onto its side. A police spokesman emphasized that no other vehicle was likely involved in the accident. The important north-south route between Berlin and Munich was closed in both directions for several hours.
Read here:After the Flixbus accident – How safe are coaches?
Flixbus accident on the A9: the dead were only rescued after hours
The driver of the Flixbus is not among the dead.
© DPA Images | Jan Woitas
It was only after three hours that the crashed bus could be righted with the help of belts and several dead people removed from the interior. Mobile privacy screens shielded the action. According to the police, the driver of the coach is not among the dead. Details about the man’s health were not given. It was still unclear when the bus would be recovered. At least the A9 towards Berlin was reopened in the early afternoon.
Hospitals in the area had prepared for a large-scale operation. The emergency room has been alerted and operating rooms and diagnostic rooms are being prepared and available, said a spokesman for the Diakonissen Hospital in Leipzig upon request. In addition, the control center has been informed about the capacities it has for admitting patients. Eight injured people were treated at Leipzig University Hospital, including one seriously injured, a spokesman said upon request.
Also read: These were the worst bus accidents in recent history
Four people were killed in an accident with a coach on the A9 near Leipzig.
© DPA Images | Jan Woitas
Flixbus accident on A9: Motorway between Berlin and Leipzig closed
Saxony’s Transport Minister Martin Dulig was dismayed. “My thoughts are with the relatives Victim and injured. “I would like to thank the many emergency services on site who provide quick help,” said the SPD politician on Wednesday. Flixbus was seriously affected. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this accident and their families,” said a spokesman for the company on Wednesday when asked.
Such accidents are shocking, said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) to the news channel “Welt”. “And now it’s about the security forces on site having to clarify the matter and helping the people who urgently need help now.”
Read here: Flixbus accidents – What politicians and associations say about it
Map shows location of the Flixbus accident on the A9
The Schkeuditzer Kreuz is located at the airport Leipzig/Halle. The A9 is an important north-south highway connecting Berlin and Munich.
The accident site is near Leipzig Airport.
© DPA Images | dpa-infografik GmbH
Similar accident with Flixbus 2019 nearby
In 2019, a similar accident occurred with a Flixbus just about 15 kilometers south – with one dead, 72 injured and nine seriously injured. The bus also drove into the embankment and overturned. The cause is said to have been the driver’s “microsleep”. There was then criticism of the working conditions at the long-distance bus company, which mainly relies on subcontractors.
A Flixbus is tilted to the side at the scene of the accident on the A9.
© DPA Images | Jan Woitas
Emergency vehicles and rescue helicopters are on the A9 at the scene of the accident. A long traffic jam formed behind the Flixbus accident.
© DPA Images | Jan Woitas
Must in Germany Coaches It has been mandatory to be equipped with belts since October 1, 1999. However, an obligation to retrofit older buses was never decided due to technical and economic obstacles. Nothing is currently known about the year the accident bus was built. Most of the coaches that operate under the Flixbus brand are owned by subcontractors.
A German Air Rescue (DRF) rescue helicopter is in action over the scene of the accident on the A9.
© DPA Images | Jan Woitas
The company itself writes on its website that in the long-distance bus Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory reign. Passengers are encouraged to “wear their seatbelts securely at all times during the long-distance bus journey”.
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