Girl, 7, among two killed in French bus crash

Girl, 7, among two killed in French bus crash A school bus carrying 43 passengers crashed into a tree in eastern France, killing a seven-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man. LENT, France: A seven-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man were killed when a bus carrying schoolchildren veered off the road and crashed into a tree in eastern France on Friday (Nov 6), the government said. Three people were in critical condition while around 20 others had sustained less serious injuries in the accident on Friday morning near the village of Lent, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said. The bus was travelling between the city of Lyon and the town of Bourg-en-Bresse with 43 passengers, including 15 minors on their way to school, prosecutors said. Regional weekly La Voix de l'Ain published a photograph showing the white-and-blue bus in a ditch, with its front end heavily damaged. A 17-year-old survivor, who escaped with minor injuries, said after the crash the bus was littered with shattered glass and blood, with tree branches protruding into the vehicle and broken phones scattered throughout. The bus had passed through Lent when, shortly afterwards, "the driver made a very sharp turn of the wheel," the student told reporters on condition of anonymity. They were travelling in the right-hand lane before the bus moved into the left-hand lane, she said. "Then we went straight into a ditch." "All the windows burst open," she said. "We all got out through the windows or through the middle of the bus because it had opened up." Three people were in critical condition while around 20 others had sustained less serious injuries in the accident on Friday morning near the village of Lent, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said. The bus was travelling between the city of Lyon and the town of Bourg-en-Bresse with 43 passengers, including 15 minors on their way to school, prosecutors said. Regional weekly La Voix de l'Ain published a photograph showing the white-and-blue bus in a ditch, with its front end heavily damaged. A 17-year-old survivor, who escaped with minor injuries, said after the crash the bus was littered with shattered glass and blood, with tree branches protruding into the vehicle and broken phones scattered throughout. The bus had passed through Lent when, shortly afterwards, "the driver made a very sharp turn of the wheel," the student told reporters on condition of anonymity. They were travelling in the right-hand lane before the bus moved into the left-hand lane, she said. "Then we went straight into a ditch." "All the windows burst open," she said. "We all got out through the windows or through the middle of the bus because it had opened up." "FACES COVERED IN BLOOD" The teenager said she and others tried to help as many people as possible. "We tried to help the people whose faces were covered in blood and move them to the roadside so they wouldn't get hit by cars." She said she had seen nothing "abnormal" during the trip, adding she herself had hit the back of her neck and suffered a heavy blow to the head. Officials said there was no clear explanation for the accident. "The side of the bus was torn off, so the people who were sitting on that side must have been seriously injured," Yves Cristin, the mayor of Lent, told broadcaster BFMTV. An investigation into homicide by vehicle had been opened. The driver, who had to be freed from the wreckage, underwent drug screening tests and "the initial results appear to be negative", said Tabarot. Jean-Francois Debat, mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse, described the road as "well maintained". "We tried to help the people whose faces were covered in blood and move them to the roadside so they wouldn't get hit by cars." She said she had seen nothing "abnormal" during the trip, adding she herself had hit the back of her neck and suffered a heavy blow to the head. Officials said there was no clear explanation for the accident. "The side of the bus was torn off, so the people who were sitting on that side must have been seriously injured," Yves Cristin, the mayor of Lent, told broadcaster BFMTV. An investigation into homicide by vehicle had been opened. The driver, who had to be freed from the wreckage, underwent drug screening tests and "the initial results appear to be negative", said Tabarot. Jean-Francois Debat, mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse, described the road as "well maintained". "IN SHOCK" Around 100 firefighters and 50 officers were deployed to the site of the crash, along with drones and four helicopters. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Education Minister Edouard Geffray said their thoughts were with the victims. Victim support group Avema-France Victimes 01 was dispatched to assist survivors and their relatives. The association said many people were "in shock". They were being cared for at the town hall, where a psychological support unit had been set up. Accidents involving public transport are relatively rare in France. In 2025, a high-school student was killed and 20 others injured when a school bus whose driver had taken drugs crashed near Chateaudun in central France. The deadliest road disaster in France took place in August 1982 when a motorway pile-up caused several vehicles to catch fire, including a coach carrying children on their way to a summer camp. The tragedy claimed a total of 53 lives, including 46 children. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Education Minister Edouard Geffray said their thoughts were with the victims. Victim support group Avema-France Victimes 01 was dispatched to assist survivors and their relatives. The association said many people were "in shock". They were being cared for at the town hall, where a psychological support unit had been set up. Accidents involving public transport are relatively rare in France. In 2025, a high-school student was killed and 20 others injured when a school bus whose driver had taken drugs crashed near Chateaudun in central France. The deadliest road disaster in France took place in August 1982 when a motorway pile-up caused several vehicles to catch fire, including a coach carrying children on their way to a summer camp. The tragedy claimed a total of 53 lives, including 46 children. Source: AFP/fs