Two married couples in their 30s are dead after a vehicle bearing British registration plates careered off the road and slammed into woodland in Germany.

The tragedy occurred when an Audi veered off the carriageway and became trapped between two trees on the L3229 road cutting through Reinhardshagen Forest in Hesse on Friday evening.

A 32-year-old driver, a 31-year-old passenger, and two female passengers aged 30 and 32 were declared dead at the scene. Officers confirmed the vehicle carried United Kingdom number plates, raising fears that all four victims are British tourists.

A police spokeswoman explained: "The car had the steering wheel on the right and was positioned for left-hand traffic in England. We assume that the driver was unfamiliar with the route and lost control of the car in the left-hand bend."

The public prosecutor's office has seized the vehicle for examination, with a specialist set to conduct a crash reconstruction.

Emergency crews rushed to the location after an automatic collision alert was activated by one of the victim's mobile phones, reports the Mirror. The alert summoned ambulance teams, fire engines, and police to the site.

They found the car lying on its side, jammed between several trees.

The four victims were only discovered and removed after the vehicle's roof had been severed. The scene was so grim that rescuers were left utterly shaken by what they saw in the woods. 

A spokesperson for the Reinhardshagen Volunteer Fire Department said: "This high number of deaths is an extraordinary operation for our Reinhardshagen Volunteer Fire Department.  

"For some of the emergency personnel, it is the first time they have been confronted with death in this way.

"Therefore, a great deal is being done to help us process these images. We will also discuss this among ourselves and within families, because not everyone can easily shake off what they have seen."