British buses collide: 2 dead, dozens injured

Two people died and more than two dozen others were injured Saturday in a pile up involving two British tour buses and a semi truck on a major highway near Cologne, in western Germany, officials said. The accident killed a bus driver and a British youth, according to emergency services who arrived at the scene. Another 27 people suffered severe injuries and were treated in hospitals, while 79 people were lightly injured or suffered from shock, said Andreas Moh, a spokesman with police in Kerpen.

Photo: British buses collide: 2 dead, dozens injured

In London, the British Foreign Office confirmed only that two people had died in the crash and said 29 others were injured. No reason was given for the discrepancy. According to Moh, the first bus had a breakdown and pulled off to the side of the A4 autobahn, or highway. But part of the vehicle was sticking out into the road, police said.

Shortly afterward, a truck crashed into the broken-down bus, and a second British bus, traveling independently of the first, also plowed into the pile up, Moh said. Prosecutors have launched an investigation, reports the AP.

N.U.