Bus driver investigated for manslaughter after crash near Leipzig
The driver of a bus that crashed on a German motorway on Wednesday, killing four people and injuring many others, is being investigated for involuntary manslaughter and negligent bodily harm, the public prosecutor's office said on Thursday.
A spokesman for the office was unable to say whether the man, 62, had already been questioned.
The double-decker Flixbus with 54 people on board, including two drivers, had veered off the A9 motorway near Leipzig on Wednesday morning and tipped onto its side.
The bus company had previously reported that 55 people were on board. The police reported four fatalities, six serious injuries and 29 people with minor injuries.
Police have released information on the identity of the fatalities, saying all four were woman.
A 47-year-old Polish woman, a 20-year-old Indonesian woman residing in Berlin and a 19-year-old woman from Bavaria died in the accident, the police announced on Thursday. The identity of the fourth woman has not yet been established beyond doubt.
No details were given on Thursday about the state of health of the injured.
Investigators are currently focussing on establishing the cause of the accident. All those injured who are being treated in hospital will be questioned, provided their state of health allows it, a spokeswoman for Leipzig police said on Thursday in response to an enquiry.
An accident analysis report on the bus will also be commissioned, the public prosecutor's office said. The first results are not expected for several weeks.
According to the police, the majority of the passengers were not from Germany. Of the 54 passengers, 18 were German nationals. The others came from more than 20 countries, including Peru, New Zealand, China, Canada and the United States.
The coach had crashed on its way from Berlin to Zurich.
According to the bus company, the driver of the bus is said to have complied with all driving and rest times.
"There were two drivers on board, the driver on duty had been driving the bus since its departure from Berlin at 8 am," it said. The A9 motorway, an important north-south route between Berlin and Munich, was closed around the accident site for 12 hours.
