Accident in north-eastern Germany leaves at least 23 injured

At least 23 people were injured when a long-distance coach operated by FlixBus en route from Denmark to Austria overturned on a motorway in north-eastern Germany early on Friday, according to police.

One person was critically injured. However, the exact number of casualties could still change, police said, after previously putting the number of injured at 20.

The bus travelling from Copenhagen to Vienna overturned on the A19 motorway in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at around 2:40 am (0040 GMT) near the Röbel junction heading towards Berlin.

The critically injured passenger was trapped for two hours before emergency forces were able to free them. The person has since been airlifted to a hospital in Berlin, a police spokeswoman said, without providing further details.

The bus, carrying 54 passengers and two drivers, initially veered off the road to the right before flipping over. The cause of the accident remains unclear, with police still questioning the drivers.

According to FlixBus, the coach had been due to arrive in Vienna at around noon (1000 GMT) on Friday.

The vehicle disembarked from a ferry arriving from Denmark at the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn at around 10 pm Thursday, before heading towards Berlin, according to the operator.

Passengers on board the vehicle held at least 20 different nationalities, including German, Danish, Ukrainian, French, Italian, Australian, Syrian, Japanese and Chinese, according to police.

Emergency services, including paramedics, firefighters and rescue helicopters, were deployed to the scene. Officers from the motorway police stations nearby were also involved.

The motorway has been completely closed since the time of the incident, with a crane being used to put the vehicles back on its wheels.

Shoes, headphones, drinks and other belongings could be seen littered across the embankment at the accident site.

Passengers who escaped unharmed were brought to Röbel where they received care, and some were picked up by relatives, according to a spokesman for local authorities.

Others then continued their journey independently, and FlixBus sent a replacement vehicle offering to bring stranded passengers to Berlin.

Police were questioning passengers and the drivers to determine the cause of the accident, though noted they had to wait for interpreters including for the bus drivers who were said to be Georgian nationals.

FlixBus is a German company that provides low-cost travel in Europe, mainly by bus but also by train. It started offering long-distance bus services in the United States in 2018.

According to the operator, the bus last stopped for a break at 1:45 am based on available data.

The vehicle was built in 2025 and the driver had many years of driving experience, FlixBus said, stressing it was cooperating with police and authorities to determine the cause of the accident.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event - especially the injured and their families," a FlixBus spokesman said. "We sincerely wish them a speedy and full recovery."

Manuela Schwesig, state leader of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, expressed her shock at the incident in a post on X.

"Terrible. I wish all the injured a speedy recovery," she wrote, thanking emergency forces for their swift response.

Two people were killed and 11 injured in a FlixBus accident in north-eastern Germany in January, when a coach en route from Berlin to Szczecin in Poland veered off the road.