Five Scotland fans have been hurt in a head-on crash on the wrong side of the road when they arrived in Germany for their team’s Euro 2024 opener.
Four ambulances and other emergency crews rushed to the scene on Thursday night on a road near Weeze Airport, around 40 miles outside Düsseldorf.
According to the Daily Record, all five members of the Tartan Army were injured in the collision, two of which are reportedly in a serious condition.
Local reports said the fans had arrived from Edinburgh at 11pm and left Weeze airport in a rental car after midnight, but left on the wrong side of the road.
Two of the men are reported to be 25, and the other three 23.
Their Citroen C3 collided head-on with a Mercedes Benz S-Class, being driven by a 45-year-old man from Düsseldorf, who was also reportedly left injured.
All six people involved in the collision were taken to hospital.
Two men – the 25-year-old driver of the Citroen and a 23-year-old passengers – are in serious conditions, reports said.
It is believed that the crash was caused by the Scottish driver forgetting to drive on the right hand side on account of UK law being that drivers stay on the left.
‘We are investigating the cause of the accident,’ a spokesman for the Kleve district police told the Rheinische Post.
‘Based on our investigations, we suspect that the Scottish driver used the wrong lane due to left-hand traffic in his home country.’
Pictures from the scene showed the front of the two cars crumpled together, with suitcases and other belonging strewn across the road.
The four ambulances lined the road, while paramedics could be seen treating people on the ground on stretchers and wrapped in medical foil.
The Rheinische Post reported that the driver of the car was found to be drunk after a blood sample was taken from him.
Scotland are set to take on hosts Germany in Munich in the Euro 2024 Group A opener, with thousands of Scottish football fans having travelled to the city.
Jubilant scenes capital showed the Tartan Army – many in kilts and some playing the bagpipes – taking over the streets of the Bavarian capital.
German media noted that it was unusual for fans to have arrived at Weeze airport given that there area number of travel hubs that are closer to Munich.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…
Five Scotland fans have been hurt in a head-on crash on the wrong side of the road when they arrived in Germany for their team’s Euro 2024 opener. Pictured (unrelated to the crash): Two men play bagpipes at the ‘Marienplatz’ square before a Group A match between Germany and Scotland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Munich, June 14
