Reuters

Several people were killed and more than 20 injured in a coach crash on a motorway near the eastern German city of Leipzig on Wednesday, police and the bus operator said.

"Several people were fatally injured in the serious accident on the A9 motorway. There are numerous casualties," police in the state of Saxony said on social media platform X.

Local media reported that five people were dead after a Flixbus veered to the right of the busy A9 motorway which connects Berlin to Munich before ending up on its side.

The road in the direction of Munich was closed, said police, as pictures showed ambulances and helicopters attending the scene.

"The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known," said Flixbus, adding it was working with emergency services to find out what happened. Some 53 passengers and two drivers were on board the coach which was travelling from Berlin to Zurich.