Fatal Flixbus journey

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It took several hours before the overturned coach could be righted with belts.(Bild: APA/AFP/Jens Schlueter)

A coach had a serious accident on the German Autobahn 9 near Leipzig on Wednesday, leaving several people dead and injured. Recovery work was underway in the evening - a recovery crane was on site, a police spokeswoman reported. Meanwhile, more and more details about the accident are becoming known.

A double-decker bus operated by Flixbus was due to take passengers from Berlin to Zurich on Wednesday morning. However, between the Wiedemar junction and the Schkeuditzer Kreuz junction in Saxony, the vehicle left the road and overturned. The police reported four fatalities and more than 20 injuries.

Number of fatalities revised downwards
Originally, there had been talk of five fatalities. On Wednesday evening, however, the police corrected the number of fatalities to four. One person initially reported as dead was in a life-threatening condition, the Leipzig police department announced.

It is still unclear why the vehicle left the road. A passenger told the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" that the ride was bumpy throughout. At one point, the driver even missed the route and had to brake abruptly. In the process, he argued with a colleague.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Jens Schlueter)

Children hanging upside down in seat belts
"Suddenly we were thrown back and forth, then my eyes went black," recalls the mother. She had been driving with her three children. When she regained consciousness, the bus was already lying on its side. According to her account, the little ones were hanging upside down in the seat belts - which may have saved their lives.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Jens Schlueter)

They were then taken to hospital and were able to leave the hospital the same day. Flixbus offered to either continue the journey or return to Berlin. The mother is still hesitant: "We don't have any belongings at the moment, our suitcases are all still on the bus."

53 passengers on board
According to the company, there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board the long-distance bus. The company is working closely with the local authorities and the emergency services and is doing everything it can to quickly and completely clarify the cause of the accident, said a spokesperson. "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this accident and their families."

It took three hours before the bus involved in the accident could be righted with the help of belts and several dead bodies removed from the interior. According to the police, the driver of the coach is not among the dead. Details of the man's state of health were not given. According to the bus company, the driver had been at the wheel since leaving Berlin at 8 a.m. and had complied with all driving and rest times.