German police said late Sunday that a collision between two cars had claimed the lives of several people in the central German state of Hesse.

Police said the incident took place in the town of Fritzlar, close to the city of Kassel, at around 8:30 p.m. local time (19:30 GMT).

High-speed, head-on collision

It is understood a car had been traveling at high speed into oncoming traffic when it crashed head-on with another vehicle.

All five people in the two vehicles died in the incident, according to the German press agency DPA.

A car carrying four men, aged between 27 and 57, collided with an oncoming passenger car while making a right-hand turn, killing the 42-year-old woman driving it.

Both vehicles ended up in ditches by the side of the road. No other vehicles were involved.

Police closed off the scene of the incident. The fire rescue service had to cut the victims out of the wreckage.

Edited by: John Silk