Enlarge image
One of the cars involved in the accident: At least three people died due to wrong-way drivers
Photo: dpa
A wrong-way driver collided with two cars in Emstek, Lower Saxony, near Cloppenburg - at least three people died in the accident and four others were critically injured. According to the Cloppenburg-Vechta police station, the accident happened on Saturday evening around 6:30 p.m. A full car driven by a 40-year-old man crossed into the opposite lane on the B72 federal highway and collided with a second car in which two men from the Netherlands were sitting.
The 40-year-old wrong-way driver, his 25-year-old passenger and the 49-year-old driver of the other car were killed in the collision. The other four occupants of the two vehicles involved in the accident suffered life-threatening injuries. According to the police, it is not yet clear why the 40-year-old ended up in the oncoming lane.
Before the head-on collision, the wrong-way driver also collided with the left rear of another car on the opposite lane. According to police, the driver was able to avoid the collision. He and his passenger were seriously injured and two other vehicle occupants were slightly injured.
A spectator insulted the fire department
According to the police, the injured people were taken to surrounding hospitals in rescue helicopters and ambulances, and the B72 was closed in both directions at the accident site until one o'clock on Sunday night.
The emergency services had to send onlookers away from a path leading past the accident site several times during the rescue and recovery work, the police explained. One of the gawkers insulted a firefighter and an investigation was initiated against him.
has/AFP