At least five people have died after a bus coach veered off and fell on its side on the busy A9 autobahn motorway near the eastern German city of Leipzig.

Authorities said over 20 people were also injured in the crash and no other vehicle was involved in the accident.

Confirming the accident, the bus company said the coach left Berlin with two drivers and 53 passengers and was on its way to Nuremberg en route to Zurich.

FlixBus, founded in Munich in 2011, runs a network of long-distance coach services in Europe, America, and Asia.

Police said rescue operations are ongoing, and local hospitals were told to prepare for a major emergency.