Several people have died after a truck struck two cars on a busy German road, pushing the smaller vehicles under another trailer.

Mannheim police said the incident took place on the A5 Autobahn near the town of Walldorf in south-west Germany.

A police statement said the number of people killed has not been determined. A woman has been extracted from the wreckage with serious injuries.

A rescue helicopter and dozens of first responders are at the scene, officers said.

Three people were also hurt in a seven-car pile-up in the opposite lane, which police described as a “rubbernecking” accident.