Bus crash in eastern France kills girl and 18-year-old man

A bus travelling between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse crashed in the eastern French town of Lent at about 07:00 local time on Friday, killing a young girl and an 18-year-old man, the Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office said. Forty-three people were on board, including 15 children.

How many people were on the bus and how badly were they hurt?

The Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office said the bus was carrying 43 passengers, 15 of them children. Three people were in a critical condition and at least 13 others sustained minor injuries. Medical helicopters were deployed to take the most seriously injured to a specialised hospital, and more than 100 firefighters and 50 gendarmes were sent to the scene.

What happened at the crash site?

Lent’s mayor, Yves Cristin, told French media the bus “left the road and hit a tree in the ditch”. Speaking to BFM TV, Cristin said: “I arrived minutes after the accident and people were in shock. The side of the bus was torn off, and clearly, the people who were on that side must have been seriously injured.” The mayor told Le Figaro there “was a bit of fog, the road was wet” but that there were “no major difficulties”.

Is there an investigation?

The prosecutor’s office said it was “opening an investigation into the incident, on charges of road homicide and aggravated road traffic injuries”. The driver was taken to hospital with injuries and has not yet been questioned by police. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said initial tests indicated there were no traces of alcohol or drugs in his blood. Fabrice Pannekoucke, head of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, told Le Figaro: “At this stage, there are no particular explanations or interpretations that can be given.”

What has the French government said?

President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X that his thoughts were with the victims, the injured and their families, and thanked the rescue teams involved. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the accident as tragic and thanked the firefighters, medical teams and police who attended the scene. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said it was “always difficult when our children are victims of accidents of this nature”.

Tabarot said the bus did not operate “exclusively on school routes” but that there were “many schoolchildren on board”. France has also seen school-related unrest in recent weeks, with police firing tear gas in Paris and Marseille as school protests spread.

The local town hall in Lent was opened to provide shelter and to coordinate with emergency services, the mayor said.

Frequently asked questions

How many people were on the bus that crashed in Lent, France?

The bus was carrying 43 passengers, including 15 children, according to the Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office. Three people were in a critical condition and at least 13 others had minor injuries.

Where and when did the bus crash happen?

The bus was travelling between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse when it crashed at around 07:00 local time on Friday in the town of Lent, in eastern France.

Is anyone facing charges over the crash?

The Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on charges of road homicide and aggravated road traffic injuries. The driver, who was injured, has not yet been questioned by police, and initial tests showed no traces of alcohol or drugs in his blood, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)