HOLIDAYMAKERS who flew from Southampton were caught up in the Austrian coach crash which claimed the lives of five Britons.

The victims, who have not been named, were among 42 British tourists on board a bus that plunged nearly 100ft down a steep embankment yesterday.

Dozens of people were injured in the accident which happened when the coach got into difficulty as it tried to overtake another vehicle and then left the road.

The vehicle rolled over twice before landing upside down in a field.

The accident occurred near Hallein, about 20 miles from Salzburg while the holidaymakers were on an excursion to Berchtesgaden, where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had his alpine retreat.

The passengers on the coach had been staying in the lake resorts of Traunkirchen, Fuschl and St Wolfgang.

A spokesman for holiday company Inghams Travel said that the five dead were all from Britain.

Special arrangements are being made to fly out the relatives of the dead and injured to be near their loved ones.

An accident investigation team are looking into the causes of the crash.

Gerhard Huber, head of Salzburg emergency services, said that three other people were in a "very bad situation". It is thought at least two remain in intensive care.

Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after the accident at 3.30pm UK time yesterday.

One air ambulance pilot described the aftermath as "like a war zone".

Doctors and medics treated victims at the scene as other rescue workers cut trapped passengers out of the wreckage.

All of those on board the coach were freed within about an hour of the accident, but a rescue official said it was not possible to confirm who was injured because most were unconscious.

There were 46 tourists on board - 42 Britons, two Russians, one Australian and one German, according to local rescue officials.

Inghams said 20 people had been taken to three hospitals in the area and about 20 had already been released from hospital and returned to their hotels.

One British holidaymaker caught up in the tragedy gave a horrific account of the crash.

Survivor Peter Davies escaped with minor cuts and bruises.

He was on holiday with his girlfriend who suffered a broken leg and jaw.

The 27-year-old Shropshire mill operator said: "I was talking when I heard a screech and a bang. Then we slid off the road and the ground was flying towards us. It was all a blur and going round and round.

"When it came to a halt the roof was right near the floor. I managed to crawl out of a gap where the windows should have been.

"People had been thrown out through the windows. It was horrible. I tried to help where I could but there wasn't much we could do."