Five killed in Germany bus crash

Police in the eastern German state of Saxony said at least five people were killed in an accident involving an intercity bus near the city of Leipzig on Wednesday.

Rescue helicopters and numerous ambulances were seen in the area and the A9 autobahn, which links Berlin and Munich, was closed in both directions.

The vehicle left the road just north of an interchange at Schkeuditz, next to the Leipzig/ Halle airport, at about 9.45 a.m. local time.

“Several people were fatally injured in the serious accident on the A9 highway. There are numerous casualties,” police in the state of Saxony said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Other passengers were reported to have been injured. The coach, operated by German company Flixbus, was said to have veered off the highway and crashed onto its side for unknown reasons.

“The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known,” said Flixbus. “We are of course working closely with the local authorities and the emergency services on site and will do everything in our power to clarify the cause of the accident quickly and completely,” the company said.

The bus was headed from Berlin to Zurich with about 53 passengers and two drivers on board.