A bus carrying children to school in southern Germany hit multiple cars and then crashed into the side of a building, injuring 48 people, 10 of them seriously, police said.

The injured were 43 children and the bus driver, as well as other adults who were on board the bus, said Mannheim police spokesman Christoph Kunkel.

Germany Bus Crash
Firefighters at the scene of the crash in Eberbach, near Mannheim, southern Germany (Rene Priebe/dpa via AP)

Three helicopters and 10 ambulances rushed to the scene in the town of Eberbach, about 30 miles (50km) east of Mannheim, to take the injured to hospitals in the area for treatment.

The bus crashed just after 7am on Tuesday as it was driving around a left-hand bend in the road in Eberbach.

Germany Bus Crash
The bus crashed into the side of a house (Rene Priebe/dpa via AP)

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, but Mr Kunkel said the driver had been able to talk to officers following the crash.

A wide area around the accident scene was closed to traffic as the incident was investigated.
AP