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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Fatal bus fire on German motorway | Fatal bus fire on German motorway |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Up to 20 people have been killed and several injured in a bus fire on a motorway near Hanover in Germany. | Up to 20 people have been killed and several injured in a bus fire on a motorway near Hanover in Germany. |
| The bus had been travelling to Berlin when the fire broke out, trapping some passengers, most of whom were reported to be elderly. | The bus had been travelling to Berlin when the fire broke out, trapping some passengers, most of whom were reported to be elderly. |
| But 10 people were able to escape from the vehicle after the fire started, on the A2 Autobahn. | But 10 people were able to escape from the vehicle after the fire started, on the A2 Autobahn. |
| The cause of the fire is not yet known but some reports say the fire may have been started by a cigarette. | The cause of the fire is not yet known but some reports say the fire may have been started by a cigarette. |
| "Someone was smoking secretly in the toilet and that's what started the fire. It happens," said Oliver Pehl, whose mother is the owner of the coach company. | "Someone was smoking secretly in the toilet and that's what started the fire. It happens," said Oliver Pehl, whose mother is the owner of the coach company. |
| However, officials said it was too early to be sure of the cause and a technical fault could be to blame. | However, officials said it was too early to be sure of the cause and a technical fault could be to blame. |
| Mr Pehl said he had driven the coach himself in the past and it had never had any problems. | |
| "It is terrible, just terrible that so many people lost their lives," he said. | "It is terrible, just terrible that so many people lost their lives," he said. |
| 'Deeply shaken' | 'Deeply shaken' |
| A police spokesman, speaking anonymously, said the bus had caught fire while driving along and that no other vehicle had been involved. | A police spokesman, speaking anonymously, said the bus had caught fire while driving along and that no other vehicle had been involved. |
| "The passengers did not manage to get out of the burning vehicle in time," he said. | "The passengers did not manage to get out of the burning vehicle in time," he said. |
| Reports say the bus had pulled into the hard shoulder after catching fire. | Reports say the bus had pulled into the hard shoulder after catching fire. |
| "I just saw smoke and then I got closer and closer and realised that a coach was on fire," eyewitness Nadia Possberg told Reuters. | "I just saw smoke and then I got closer and closer and realised that a coach was on fire," eyewitness Nadia Possberg told Reuters. |
| Another eyewitness said what he saw was "just horrible". | Another eyewitness said what he saw was "just horrible". |
| A fire department spokesman, Joerg Segreff, told AP that 12 people had been injured, three of them with serious burns. | A fire department spokesman, Joerg Segreff, told AP that 12 people had been injured, three of them with serious burns. |
| German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said he was "deeply shaken by the dreadful fate of the victims of the fire" and sent his condolences to their families, reported AFP. | German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said he was "deeply shaken by the dreadful fate of the victims of the fire" and sent his condolences to their families, reported AFP. |
| Mr Tiefensee said there would have to be an investigation into the cause of the fire and whether safety regulations had been followed. | Mr Tiefensee said there would have to be an investigation into the cause of the fire and whether safety regulations had been followed. |