At least 18 people are dead, and many are reportedly missing after a tour bus in Germany burst into flames following a collision with a trailer truck on Monday.
"We are realistic and will have several dead to report at the end of the day," police spokesperson Juergen Stadter told news channel NTV.
Stadter said that the only "glimmer of hope" they have at this point is that at least 17 people are missing after the bus accident, and that they could be found alive outside of the coach. At least 31 others have also been injured in the collision. AFP reports state that up to 17 are feared dead.
#UPDATE Up to 17 feared dead in German bus accident https://t.co/gKc5cqb5B3 pic.twitter.com/4kTET7Q7zM
— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 3, 2017
Reports state that the bus was carrying 46 passengers and two drivers as it rammed into the trailer in a traffic jam on the A9 motorway, close to the Bavarian town of Stammbach in Southern Germany.
"The bus is completely gutted," another police spokesperson said. All the tourists on board the bus were reportedly German nationals.
While another policeman said that apart from the ones who were missing, others on board "are believed to have died on the burning bus."
The coach was travelling from the eastern region of Lausitz in the direction of Nuremberg when the incident occurred.
According to Bild newspaper, the lorry, with which the bus crashed, was loaded with beds and pillows which went up in flames immediately.
An emergency team, including rescue workers and firefighters, was at the scene of the incident. Traffic on the motorway has been stopped.
The cause of the collision is being investigated.
