Two people killed in separate crashes on Germany’s A9 motorway

Two people were killed in separate serious crashes on the A9 motorway toward Berlin, leaving the route closed for longer and prompting police to divert traffic well before the affected sections.

The first crash occurred shortly before 8 a.m. near Sandersdorf-Brehna in Anhalt-Bitterfeld. A car moved from the middle lane into the right lane and collided with a truck traveling there. The car’s 31-year-old passenger died at the scene.

The 58-year-old driver suffered serious injuries and went to hospital by ambulance. A six-year-old girl in the car also suffered serious injuries and was flown to a clinic by rescue helicopter. The truck driver, 49, escaped injury. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage and could not continue. The motorway remained fully closed at the site until about 1 p.m.

At midday, another serious collision occurred between the Wiedemar interchange and the Halle motorway junction. Police said one truck struck a second truck that had stopped at the end of a traffic jam. Three trucks became wedged together, and the driver of the striking tractor-trailer suffered fatal injuries at the scene. Recovery and cleanup were expected to continue into the evening, while police diverted traffic from the Schkeuditz junction and urged drivers to avoid the area.