At least five people were killed in a coach accident on the A 9 near Leipzig. There were also more than a dozen injured in the accident, the police said. The Flixbus was on the way from Berlin to Zurich in the morning. According to the company, there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board.
The double-decker bus crashed on a straight line between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz. The motorway junction is at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The A 9 is an important north-south highway that connects Berlin and Munich.
According to initial findings, the coach left the road for an unknown reason, drove into the bushes and fell on its side. According to the current status, no other vehicle was involved in the accident, according to the police. The bus driver who was behind the wheel was not among those killed. The police did not provide any details about his health.
With the help of belts, the bus was uprighted at midday so that other passengers could be rescued. The event was fenced off by mobile privacy walls. The motorway was temporarily completely closed, but was reopened in the direction of Berlin in the early afternoon. In the direction of Munich it will probably remain closed for several more hours. The rescue work could continue into the evening, a police spokesman told the dpa news agency.
Hospitals are preparing for large-scale operations
The hospitals in the area prepared for a large-scale operation shortly after the accident. 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. In addition, the control center has been informed about the capacities it has for admitting patients.
Emergency vehicles and rescue helicopters are on the A9 at the scene of the accident.
(Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa)
The provider Flixbus was seriously affected after the accident. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this accident and their families,” said a company spokesman. They are working closely with the local authorities and the rescue workers on site and are doing everything they can to clarify the cause of the accident quickly and completely.
Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) expressed his condolences to the relatives of the dead. 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.” Saxony’s Transport Minister Martin Dulig also commented. “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.”