Several fatalities and multiple injuries occurred when a bus crashed on a highway near Leipzig, Germany on Wednesday, March 27 according to police. Authorities stated that there were numerous casualties in the major accident on the A9 highway. Local media said 5 people died when a Flixbus bus veered to the right side of the busy A9 highway, which links Berlin and Munich, before tipping over on its side.
Police said the road towards Munich was closed off as photos showed ambulances and helicopters at the scene. Flixbus said they were working with emergency services to determine what happened, though the exact circumstances of the crash were still unknown. There were 53 passengers and 2 drivers aboard the Zurich-bound bus, which had departed from Berlin. According to reports, the FlixBus coach swerved to the right on the busy A9 highway before falling onto its side. The coach had left Berlin with two drivers and 53 passengers, en route to Zurich with a stop in Nuremberg, the company confirmed. Officials in Saxony expressed sympathies for the victims.
The company in a statement said, “The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this accident and their families.” Founded in Munich in 2011, FlixBus operates long-distance coach services in Europe, America and Asia. The company said the accident happened around 10:00am on the A9 highway between Berlin and Munich. The service bus was two hours into its southbound journey when it crashed near Leipzig/Halle Airport, northwest of the city. FlixBus reiterated that the exact circumstances were still not known but that the long-distance service was operated on their behalf. They added that their thoughts were with those impacted by the accident and their families.
Police said rescue helicopters and numerous ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene. Local hospitals were notified to prepare for a major emergency. Both lanes of the highway were closed near the Schkeuditzer Kreuz interchange. Authorities said rescue operations were expected to continue into the evening. There have been previous coach crashes on the A9 near Leipzig, most recently in December. A woman died in a 2019 coach accident on the A9 about 20km south of Wednesday’s crash site.
