Five Scotland fans were injured in a head-on collision on the wrong side of the road as they arrived in Germany for their team’s opening Euro 2024 match.
Four ambulances and other emergency teams were called to the scene on Thursday night on a road near Weeze airport, about 65 kilometers from Düsseldorf.
According to the Daily Record, all five members of the Tartan Army were injured in the collision, two of whom are in serious condition.
Local reports said the fans arrived from Edinburgh at 11pm and left Weeze Airport in a hire car after midnight, but left on the wrong side of the road.
Two of the men were reported to be 25 years old and the other three were 23.
His Citroën C3 collided head-on with a Mercedes Benz S-Class driven by a 45-year-old man from Düsseldorf, who was also reportedly injured.
All six people involved in the collision were taken to the hospital.
Two men, the driver of the Citroën, 25, and the passenger, 23, are reportedly in serious condition.
The accident is believed to have been caused by the Scottish driver forgetting to drive on the right side because UK law states that drivers must stay on the left side.
“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 entered the wrong lane due to driving on the left in his home country.”
Images from the scene showed the front of the two cars crumpled, with suitcases and other belongings strewn across the road.
The four ambulances were lined up along the road, while paramedics could be seen tending to people on the ground on stretchers and wrapped in medical paper.
The Rheinische Post reported that after a blood sample was taken it was discovered that the driver of the car was drunk.
Scotland will face hosts Germany in Munich in the first Group A match of Euro 2024, and thousands of Scottish football fans have traveled to the city.
Scenes of jubilation in the capital showed the tartan army, many wearing kilts and some playing bagpipes, taking to the streets of the Bavarian capital.
German media noted that it was unusual for fans to arrive at Weeze airport, given that there are several travel centers closer to Munich.
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Five Scotland fans were injured in a head-on collision on the wrong side of the road as they arrived in Germany for their team’s opening Euro 2024 match. Pictured (not related to the accident): Two men play bagpipes on ‘Marienplatz’ square before a Group A match between Germany and Scotland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Munich, June 14.
