Thuringia
Accident with seven dead: Five 19-year-olds among the victims
Rescue workers and police at the scene of the accident on the B247 near Bad Langensalza in Thuringia. photo
© Silvio Dietzel/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
It is a picture of destruction that presents itself on federal highway 247 in Thuringia. Rarely does a traffic accident claim so many lives in this country. How could this happen?
Charred vehicle debris on the road, a burned-out car wreck across the crash barrier: a devastating accident near Bad Langensalza in Thuringia kills seven people and three people are seriously injured. The suspected driver of the accident does not have a driver’s license, the police said on Sunday afternoon. Many questions are still open.
Five of the victims were 19 years old. The three men and two women were in a car together when they collided with an oncoming vehicle on federal highway 247 late on Saturday afternoon. Her car immediately caught fire, a police spokeswoman said.
According to the information, the suspected cause of the accident – a 45-year-old man – got into oncoming traffic for reasons that have not yet been clarified. Since alcohol consumption could not be ruled out, a blood test was ordered. The driver and a 34-year-old passenger were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, it said. Another 44-year-old passenger died.
Prime Minister Ramelow is dismayed
The 45-year-old’s car collided with the young people’s car and another vehicle, which also immediately caught fire. The 60-year-old driver died, his 73-year-old passenger was able to escape from the burning vehicle. According to the police, all accident victims come from the Unstrut-Hainich district, Eichsfeld and the Gotha district.
Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) was dismayed and wrote on Twitter: “I mourn the dead and feel for the relatives. So much life wiped out in seconds. It remains stunned.”
According to the police, there has never been an accident of this intensity with seven people killed, in which only cars were involved, in northern Thuringia. It was a special challenge for everyone involved. They will be offered psychological support, it said.
Charred wrecks and debris everywhere
How violent the collision must have been could be read from the rubble: Two of the vehicles were destroyed beyond recognition – one of the charred wrecks lay across the guardrail, the other remained standing on the road with a shredded body. The third car was overturned on the side of the road. All victims died in their vehicles. According to police, the bodies could only be recovered after the flames had been extinguished. At times, residents in the vicinity were asked to keep windows and doors closed because of the toxic clouds of smoke.
The accident happened in a long curve, the road has only one lane in each direction. The place is not considered an accident focus, said the police spokeswoman when asked. An expert was called in to determine the cause. The investigations are reportedly not yet complete.
The main road was initially closed. When the appraiser has completed his work, the street must be cleaned, it said. It is then to be checked whether the road surface has been damaged. According to the information, it depends on when the route can be opened to traffic again.
Thuringia’s Transport Minister Susanna Karawanskij (left) was dismayed: “My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims and I wish the injured a speedy, full recovery.” The causes of the accident would be investigated and the results evaluated in detail so that such serious accidents could be better prevented in the future, Karawansky said. She announced talks with the project sponsor of the road “to investigate the criticism of the traffic space design”.
Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) thanked the assistants for their work under difficult conditions and spoke of images “that will have an impact for a long time to come”. He was deeply shocked, Maier told the “Bild” newspaper. “My thoughts are with the seriously injured and the families of the dead.”