The dismay after the serious traffic accident with seven dead on a federal highway in Thuringia is great - and the bewilderment is likely to increase after the first investigation results of the police.

According to the investigators, the suspect who caused the accident does not have a driver's license. There is also the suspicion that the 45-year-old was drunk behind the wheel of his BMW. "A blood draw was ordered," the officials said. The result is not yet known.

The accident happened on Saturday around 5.30 p.m. on the federal road 247 near Bad Langensalza. According to previous knowledge, the 45-year-old got into oncoming traffic in a long curve and crashed into a Mercedes and a VW. Possibly there had already been an overtaking manoeuvre. The two oncoming cars caught fire after the collision and burned out. Three men and two women aged 19 from the Mercedes died, and even for the 60-year-old driver of the VW, any help came too late. A 44-year-old from the BMW also died. All victims came from Thuringia. Chaplains assisted police officers in delivering the death notices.

The 73-year-old passenger in the VW, the 34-year-old passenger in the BMW and the suspected cause of the accident survived the accident. They were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. No information was given about her condition.

The emergency services were offered a picture of horror at the scene of the accident. The Mercedes and the VW were burned beyond recognition, debris littered the roadway, which was marked by burn marks. A police spokeswoman compared the scene to a "battlefield".

Investigators and experts examined the scene of the accident and the car wrecks in order to reconstruct how the accident happened. The police have not yet been able to make any final statements. "The investigation is now underway," said the police spokeswoman.

According to the police, there has never been an accident of this intensity with seven people killed, in which only cars were involved, in northern Thuringia. The emergency services were offered care by pastors.

Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow was dismayed by what was happening on the B 247: "It was with shock and great sadness that I just received the news of the very serious car crash between Schönstedt and Bad Langensalza," wrote the left-wing politician on Twitter. "I mourn the dead and feel for the relatives. So much life wiped out in seconds. It remains bewilderment."

Police are calling on those who witnessed the accident to call (03601) 4510.

Sources: Nordhausen State Police Inspectorate, Bodo Ramelow on Twitter, DPA and AFP news agencies