Coach Carrying German Students Crashes in Netherlands, Eight Hospitalised

Several people, including German high-school students, have been injured after a coach carrying more than 50 passengers crashed into a delivery van on a motorway in the eastern Netherlands early Monday.

The crash occurred at around 4:15 a.m. local time on the A28 near Wezep, about 100 kilometres east of Amsterdam, Dutch authorities said. The coach was carrying German secondary-school students on a trip when it collided with the delivery van.

Dutch police said eight people were taken to hospital, with some of those hospitalised suffering serious injuries. Other passengers sustained minor injuries and were treated following the crash. The driver of the delivery van was also among those injured.

According to Dutch reports, the coach rear-ended the delivery van before swerving across the motorway, breaking through the guardrail and coming to rest on its side on the opposite side of the highway.

Emergency services responded in large numbers, with firefighters helping students out of the overturned coach. Images from the scene showed extensive damage to both vehicles, with the delivery van severely damaged in the collision.

The exact circumstances that led to the collision were not immediately clear. Authorities have launched an investigation into the crash.

The A28 was closed in both directions around the accident site as police conducted their investigation and emergency crews worked to clear the wreckage. Dutch road authorities warned that the closure would cause significant disruption during the morning commute and could remain in place through the evening rush hour.

The coach was reportedly operated by an Austrian company, while the passengers included a large group of German school students. Dutch police initially said they could not confirm the nationalities of all passengers, but later local reporting confirmed that German secondary-school students were among those travelling on the coach.

No deaths have been reported in connection with the crash.

Authorities are continuing to assess the injuries and investigate how the coach and delivery van came to collide on the A28.