2 Filipino tourists killed in bus crash near Munich, Germany - GMA Network

FRANKFURT — Two Filipinos were killed on Sunday when a bus carrying them to the Oktoberfest beer festival in southern Germany overturned on a motorway, police said.

The accident, which occurred around 0400 GMT, left eight others seriously injured.

The coach, chartered by a travel company, was carrying a group of around 50 Filipino tourists to the Oktoberfest in Munich, a spokeswoman for the Upper Bavaria police prefecture told AFP.

German newspaper Bild quoted a police spokesperson as saying that one person died on the spot, and the other victim later succumbed to their injuries.

Significant emergency resources were deployed at the scene, with local media reporting that approximately 250 emergency personnel have been deployed to the site.

In a Facebook post, Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt said it is “deeply saddened” by the accident and is in “close contact with German police and relevant authorities.”

According to initial findings from the investigation, the vehicle left the road before overturning near Buchloe, in a region close to the Austrian border. It had departed from the town of Mailand.

The Frankfurt consulate told GMA News Online that it is still verifying the victims’ identities and collating reports from local authorities.

“The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Munich are in close contact with the German police and relevant authorities and is coordinating with them regarding the Filipino nationals affected by the incident,” it said.

In a Facebook post, Philippine Consul General in Milan Jim Tito San Agustin wrote that the consulate "expresses its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones affected by the tragic bus accident in Bavaria, Germany."

The Consulate, he wrote, "is coordinating with the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt regarding the Filipino nationals affected by the incident.

"For the next-of-kin based in Milan, they may coordinate with the Philippine Consulate General in Milan through its ATN Hotline: +39 389 683 5076."

"We join the families and loved ones in praying for the immediate and full recovery of those who were injured in the accident," San Agustin added. — Agence France-Presse/with a report by Andy Peñafuerte III/BM, GMA News