At least five people have died and numerous people were injured in a coach accident on the A9 motorway near Leipzig, police said.
At around 9:45 am (0845 GMT), the coach veered off the motorway and crashed onto its side for unknown reasons.
Several rescue helicopters and numerous ambulances have been deployed. The motorway is closed in both directions. Drivers have been asked to keep a rescue lane clear.
The A9 is an important north-south motorway linking Berlin and Munich.
Bus operator Flixbus has expressed its deep sorrow after the crash.
"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this accident and their relatives," said a spokesman for the company on Wednesday in response to an enquiry.
The long-distance coach was travelling from Berlin to Zurich in the morning. According to Flixbus, there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board.
The company is working closely with the local authorities and the emergency services on site and is doing everything it can to quickly and completely clarify the cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, hospitals in the area were preparing for a major operation. At the Deaconess Hospital in Leipzig, the emergency department was alerted and operating theatres and diagnostic rooms were being prepared and kept on standby, a spokesman said.
