Bus accident
German exchange student involved in accident in Sweden
A bus crashed in difficult road conditions in northern Sweden. On board: dozens of Erasmus students, including many from Germany.
A group of exchange students have an accident with their coach in Sweden. En route from Norway to Finnish Lapland, their bus swerved on snowy European Route 45 near the Swedish town of Vilhelmina and overturned.
According to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), there were a total of 57 people on board, including 53 exchange students from various European countries. The largest group among them comes from Germany. The majority of bus passengers suffered minor injuries. No one’s life is in danger.
How many Erasmus students have German citizenship was unclear on Monday. When asked, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said it was aware of the case and had been in contact with local authorities.
Vilhelmina is located approximately 600 kilometers north of Stockholm in the Swedish province of Västerbotten. When the accident occurred on Saturday morning, the bus was traveling from Trondheim in Norway to Finland. This region in the far north of Europe is especially popular at this time of year for its snowy and forested landscapes, as well as the chance to see the Northern Lights when the skies are clear.
Most of the students managed to escape due to shock and minor injuries. A spokesperson for the Västerbotten region in Sweden told the German Press Agency that 8 people with moderate to serious injuries currently still need to be treated at local hospitals. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Initially a total of 56 people needed to be treated, the spokesperson said. Hospitals in the area are on maximum alert. Two patients also had to be flown by helicopter to a nearby clinic.
Most of the injured were released from hospital on Sunday. Many students have been brought back to Trondheim. NTNU offers them psychological support. “First and foremost, we are relieved that there were no fatalities in the accident,” said Audun Grøm, the university’s head of educational quality.
Lots of snow, slippery roads
According to police, the cause of the accident is still unclear. However, images and video footage show the crash site covered in heavy snow. A Swedish Radio reporter said there was a lot of snow in the region and the roads were slippery. “It must be hard to drive in that weather.”
The Norwegian University Erasmus Network rented two buses from a Finnish company for the trip. Based on NTNU information, the second bus that did not experience the accident continued its journey to Finland as planned.
Fatal bus accident in Stockholm
Sweden just had a serious bus accident a week and a half ago, but the accident had much worse consequences: an out-of-service bus crashed at a stop in the center of the capital Stockholm. Three women aged between 55 and 65 were killed in the crash, and several other people were injured, some of them seriously.
The exact cause of the serious crash near the Royal Technical University KTH north of Stockholm remains unclear. Police are investigating manslaughter by negligence, but do not believe the bus driver drove into the bus stop intentionally.
dpa
