Bus accident on A9: Police correct number of fatalities from five to four
Published: Thursday, Mar 28th 2024, 00:20
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Following the serious bus accident on the Autobahn 9 near Leipzig, the police have corrected the number of fatalities from five to four. One person initially reported to the police as deceased was in a life-threatening condition, the Leipzig police department announced late on Wednesday evening. The traffic police inspectorate is investigating on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, it said. The full closure of the A9 was lifted at around 9.30 p.m. - around twelve hours after the accident.
A double-decker bus operated by Flixbus, which was traveling from Berlin to Zurich, left the road on the A9 in the direction of Munich on Wednesday morning and overturned. The police initially reported five fatalities and 20 injuries. A statement issued in the evening said that there were six seriously injured and 29 slightly injured. Two people on another bus, some of whose occupants were acting as first responders, suffered shock and subsequently required medical care, it was reported.
Investigators did not initially provide any information on the identity, age or gender of the victims. The identification of the deceased has not yet been completed. "We ask for your understanding that no further information can be provided on the course of the accident at this time", the police continued in the evening.
According to the Flixbus company, there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board the long-distance bus. According to the police, the drivers are 53 and 62 years old. The driver, who was at the wheel at the time of the accident, is not among the dead, according to the police. According to the bus company, he had been at the wheel since departure from Berlin at 8.00 a.m. and had complied with all driving and rest times. The accident happened at around 9.45 a.m. between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction.
There had already been a serious bus accident on the A9 near Bad Dürrenberg in Saxony-Anhalt in 2019. One woman died and several people were injured. In December 2023, a coach also crashed on the A9 near Leipzig, resulting in several injuries.
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