The five people killed in a head on collision between a minibus and a tanker on the N270 late Monday afternoon worked for a staffing agency which focuses on people from central and eastern Europe.

Horizon Groep said on its website that the four men and one woman who died were on their way home from work when the crash happened. Two other women and one man who were in the minibus are seriously ill in hospital as is the driver of the other vehicle.

Their identities and nationalities have not been made public but according to a police report, they lived in Germany. Horizon Groep specialises in placements for the food processing industry.

The accident happened at around 16.30 when the minibus carrying the eight workers hit a tanker. Eyewitnesses have suggested the minibus may have been on the wrong side of the road, according to local media reports.

Local newspaper De Gelderlander says the crash is one of the most deadly on Dutch roads in recent years and that the N270 is a known traffic black spot. Measures are being taken to widen it in some places and improve lighting.