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Snow plough in Munich

Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa

First masses of snow, now freezing rain: Even on Tuesday, not everything will go as usual in Bavaria. On the roads, the black ice sometimes caused chaotic conditions. The German Weather Service issued a severe weather warning for some regions.

Two people have died in the collision of a car with a tractor-trailer on the Autobahn 8 in Upper Bavaria. The car got under the rear of the truck during the night, which was parked across the highway near Odelzhausen in the district of Dachau, the police said. "At the time of the accident, the tar surface of the road surface was as smooth as glass due to freezing moisture."

The driver and passenger in the car suffered fatal injuries. Her identity has not been revealed. The 64-year-old truck driver was slightly injured, according to the information. The motorway was therefore closed in the direction of Munich for several hours.

According to a police spokesman, there were several accidents on the Autobahn 99 between the Munich-North and Munich-South junctions. In the northbound direction, 13 vehicles were involved in a mass accident, in the opposite direction there were three traffic accidents. The highway was closed in both directions.

One dead in an accident with a school bus in the Ore Mountains

Other federal states were also affected: In the morning, a person was killed in the accident of a school bus in the Ore Mountains in Saxony. The victim is likely to be a student, police said. In addition, two people were seriously injured and eleven others were slightly injured.

For reasons that are still unclear, the bus had collided with a winter service vehicle in Sehmatal. The bus then crashed into a tree. According to the information, the bus driver is also among the seriously injured. Previously, the »Free Press« had reported on the accident.

In Baden-Württemberg, an overturned truck led to the complete closure of the Autobahn 7 near Heidenheim an der Brenz for several hours. For reasons that are still unclear, the truck, which was loaded with dangerous goods, had fallen on its side early Tuesday morning. According to a police spokesman, the roadway was cleared by the fire brigade until rush hour. The truck had to be towed. A traffic jam about five kilometers long had formed, it was said.

On the A7 in Hesse, there was an accident with four trucks in the early morning between Homberg (Efze) and Bad Hersfeld West. According to initial findings, according to the police, there was initially a rear-end collision between two trucks on the slippery road. Two other trucks were then driven over debris and damaged. One occupant was slightly injured, according to the information.

Icy roads and snow drifts have also led to accidents and disruptions in parts of Thuringia since Tuesday night. In the morning, the highway in the Suhl area was completely covered with snow, according to the police. In addition, several trucks got stuck in Etterwinden and Zwanzigacker in Meiningen. According to the police, there has also been an impairment of traffic in the Saalfeld area since Monday evening due to the weather.

Restrictions for train and air travellers in Bavaria

Air travellers and commuters in southern Bavaria still have to prepare for cancellations and delays after the heavy onset of winter. Flight operations in Munich were suspended on Tuesday morning. All areas were icy because of the freezing rain, said a spokesman for the airport. There will therefore be no take-offs and landings until 12 noon.

"In the first half of the day, the operating areas are de-iced. The plan is to resume air traffic from noon," the airport wrote on its homepage. However, it can be assumed that a large part of the flights will have to be cancelled for safety reasons later in the day."

The effects are also expected to be felt at Deutsche Bahn (DB) over the next few days. "At present, access to the greater Munich main station area is very limited. As a result, only a few long-distance trains run to and from Munich," it said on the homepage.

Rail services in the direction of Salzburg, Innsbruck and Zurich remained suspended. There could also be train cancellations and delays in other parts of southern Germany, DB said. Travellers have been urged to postpone non-essential journeys until 6 December.

wit/dpa/AFP