7 killed in devastating car accident in Thuringia, Germany

In Thuringia, Germany, after a car accident with seven deaths, it is determined how the devastating accident on a national highway could have happened. There, late on Saturday afternoon, three cars collided in a bend, two of the cars then burned out completely.

On Sunday, an expert should re-examine the accident site near Bad Langensalza in the western Free State, which had been closed off overnight, police said. According to the fire service, three people were injured in addition to deaths, according to the police, one of them was still in mortal danger on Sunday morning. The identities of the victims were not disclosed.

The accident happened on a long bend on the B247, the road only has one lane in each direction. According to initial findings, one of the cars had hit oncoming traffic for an initially unclear reason and crashed into the two oncoming vehicles. You could tell from the rubble how violent the collision must have been: two of the vehicles were smashed beyond recognition – one of the charred wreckage lay over the guardrail, the other was left lying on the road with a shredded body. The third car came to a stop on the side of the road.

All victims died in their vehicles. According to the police, the bodies could not be recovered until the flames were extinguished. Local residents were sometimes asked to keep windows and doors closed because of the toxic clouds of smoke.

Thuringia’s interior minister Georg Maier (SPD) thanked the helpers for their work in difficult circumstances and spoke of images “that will have an effect for a long time to come”. He was deeply shocked, Maier told “Bild” newspaper. “My thoughts are with the seriously injured and the relatives.” Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) was also horrified and wrote on Twitter: “I mourn the dead and sympathize with the bereaved. So much life wiped out in seconds. It remains stunned.” (sda/dpa)