At least five dead in German bus horror crash

The accident happened on the A9 highway near Leipzig

A coach lies overturned on its side at the scene of an accident on the A9, near Schkeuditz, Germany (AP)

At least five people were have been killed in a bus crash in Germany.

The bus was headed from Berlin to Switzerland when it came off a highway in eastern Germany and ended up on its side, authorities said.

The accident happened on the A9 highway near Leipzig at about 9:45am and the road was closed in both directions.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the bus, which was operated by Flixbus and en route from Berlin to Zurich, came off the road. Rescue helicopters and ambulances were at the scene.

Police spokesman Olaf Hoppe told n-tv television that there were “numerous injured and at least five dead.”

Emergency vehicles and rescue helicopters are at the scene of the accident on the A9, near Schkeuditz, Germany ((c) Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten)

Flixbus said there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board, German news agency dpa reported. The company said it was working closely with local authorities and rescue services and would do everything to clear up the cause of the accident quickly.

The A9 is a major north-south route that links Berlin with Munich. The scene of the accident was just north of a highway interchange at Schkeuditz, next to the Leipzig/Halle airport.