At least five dead and many injured in Flixbus accident – rescue work begins
“The bus was thrown onto its side”
There were several deaths and injuries in a serious bus accident on the A9 near Leipzig. “The surrounding hospitals are preparing for emergency operations. The Flixbus company has expressed its deepest regret,” reports WELT reporter Max Hermes from the scene of the accident.
There was a serious bus accident on Autobahn 9 near Leipzig. A Flixbus with 55 people on board left the road for an unknown reason and fell onto its side. Police confirmed five dead and more than 20 injured.
NAfter the serious bus accident with several deaths and injuries on the A9 motorway near Leipzig, rescue work has begun. A rescue crane was on site, a police spokeswoman said on Wednesday evening. The motorway in the direction of Munich is still completely closed. It initially remained unclear when the blockage would be lifted.
A double-decker bus operated by Flixbus, which was supposed to travel from Berlin to Zurich, left the road between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz on Wednesday and overturned. The police spoke of several deaths and around 20 injuries. No information is initially provided about the identity, age and gender of the victims.
The accident occurred around 9:45 a.m. According to initial findings, the double-decker bus had 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. Why the bus veered off the road to the right remained unclear that evening.
Four rescue helicopters are deployed at the scene of the accident
Source: dpa/Jan Woitas
Four rescue helicopters and numerous ambulances were in use at times. 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, said a spokesman for the Diakonissen Hospital in Leipzig. Eleven injured people were treated at Leipzig University Hospital, including one seriously injured, a spokesman announced in the afternoon. He is being treated in the intensive care unit.
According to the Flixbus company, there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board the long-distance bus. A company spokesman said that we were working closely with the local authorities and the rescue workers on site and that everything was being done to clarify the cause of the accident quickly and completely. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this accident and their families.”
According to the police, the driver of the coach is not among those killed. Details about his health status were not given. According to the bus company, the driver had been at the wheel since leaving Berlin at 8 a.m. and had adhered to all driving and rest times.
The authorities have now set up a privacy barrier around the scene of the accident
Source: dpa/Jan Woitas
It was only after three hours that the crashed bus was able to be righted using belts and several dead people were taken out of the interior. Mobile privacy screens shielded the action.
The A9 connects Munich and Berlin. The accident occurred around 170 kilometers after the start of the journey
Source: Infographic WELT
The Schkeuditzer Kreuz is located at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The A9 is an important north-south highway connecting Berlin and Munich.
“Such accidents affect people,” says Transport Minister Wissing
Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims during a visit to the scene of the accident. In addition, “I hope that the injured get better quickly.” Schuster thanked the rescue workers for their professional efforts. It was a “difficult situation” that was “handled excellently”. He saw in the firefighters’ faces “how difficult these scenes were.”
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) also expressed his condolences to the victims and survivors and thanked the helpers. “This really leaves us very affected,” he said on the news channel WELT TV. “Such accidents are shocking. Our thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and of course with all those affected, and we wish the injured a good recovery. And now it’s about the security forces on site having to clarify the matter and helping the people who urgently need help now. Unfortunately, such accidents are always very shocking and affect us very much.”
The bus involved in the accident was a double-decker
Source: dpa/Jan Woitas
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) described the news of the accident bus at X as “difficult to bear”. “In these difficult hours, my thoughts are with the relatives and survivors of those who died.”
Saxony’s Transport Minister Martin Dulig was also dismayed. “My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and injured,” said the SPD politician. “I would like to thank the many emergency services on site who provided quick help.”
In 2019 there was a serious bus accident on the A9 near Bad Dürrenberg in Saxony-Anhalt. A woman died and several people were injured. In December 2023, a coach crashed on the A9 near Leipzig, leaving several people injured.