Bus Accident in Southern Germany Leaves 18 Dead and 30 Injured

German police announced that a bus carrying a group of elderly Germans collided with a truck in Bavaria, resulting in possibly 18 deaths and 30 injuries. According to the Associated Press, the police stated in a statement that in this accident, which occurred early on Monday, July 3, 30 people were injured, some seriously, and 18 are missing, presumed to have burned in the fire. The German Minister of Transport, after visiting the accident site, told reporters: 'The condition of two people is still critical. The remains of 11 bodies have been found in the bus, and rescue workers are still searching for the remains of those missing in this incident.' This accident occurred around 7 a.m. due to the bus colliding with the rear of a truck in a traffic jam near the city of Muenchenberg, close to the borders of Bavaria with the Czech Republic. The cause of the traffic jam on this highway is still unclear, but according to the German Minister of Transport, it appears that the bus caught fire immediately upon colliding with the truck. A regional police spokesperson said the bus was carrying 46 passengers and two drivers, and it is still unclear whether the driver was killed in the fire. About 200 rescue workers were working at the scene, and five helicopters quickly transported the injured to regional hospitals. At the same time, simple wooden coffins were brought in to carry the bodies of the deceased. The occurrence of this accident caused significant traffic congestion on the Berlin-Munich highway. According to the police, this bus was carrying a group of elderly people from the state of Saxony in eastern Germany. German news agencies reported that all passengers on the bus were German. The Associated Press adds that Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, expressed gratitude for the efforts and actions of the rescue units in a message. Ms. Merkel stated: 'We sympathize with the families of the victims and hope for a swift recovery for the injured.' To find and transfer the remaining bodies of the victims from the wreckage of the bus, forensic staff from the German Federal Police have been dispatched to the scene. The German Minister of Transport stated that due to the severe damage to the bus, retrieving the bodies is very difficult. He added: 'The heat from the fire was so intense that everything except the metal skeleton of the bus has burned.' According to him, when the first firefighting units arrived at the scene, the area was so hot that they could not approach to rescue those trapped inside the bus, and all they could do was extinguish the fire. The Berlin-Munich highway was blocked for hours, and in the afternoon, police announced that the southbound route of this highway would remain closed for the rest of the day. According to the German Minister of Transport, they have not yet contacted the families of the victims because experts are busy identifying the bodies. A hotline has been established to provide information to the relatives of the victims and the injured, and several counselors and social workers have been dispatched to assist the injured and rescue workers.