A truck driver lost control of his 40-ton truck on a slightly sloping road in Essen and caused a serious accident in which five people were injured. The vehicle loaded with food collided with several cars and a bus on Monday evening and then tipped on its side, a fire department spokesman said.

The truck buried a car halfway under it. The fire brigade spoke of a "debris field" at the accident site. One of the badly damaged cars was about 30 meters from the actual accident site. The cause of the accident was still under investigation as of Tuesday afternoon. Alcohol was obviously not involved, said a police spokesman. The truck was towed away in the morning.

After the accident, the truck driver was severely injured and freed through the windshield of the driver's cab. A driver was locked in his car. He had to be rescued via the tailgate of the car. The driver and one passenger in the bus hit by the truck suffered minor injuries. According to the fire brigade, there were a total of five injuries, including three seriously injured.