Eight children injured in German motorway accident involving minibus

Thirteen people, including eight children, have been injured in a motorway accident in south-western Germany, a police spokeswoman said on Sunday.

The injured were ferried to hospital by helicopter from the crash site near the small town of Kirchardt. While some were seriously injured, none were in life-threatening condition, the spokeswoman said.

The accident occurred on Saturday evening when the driver of a minibus carrying the children crashed into the end of a tailback. The drivers of two following vehicles also failed to see the tailback and collided with the minibus.

The spokeswoman said that the eight seriously injured children were all around the age of 12. Three adults were seriously injured and a further two slightly.

The emergency services operation lasted for five hours, with one side of the motorway completely closed to traffic.