The key facts

  • Two killed — a child and a young adult; 16 injured, three of them seriously
  • There were 43 passengers on the bus, including 15 minors
  • The cause of the bus leaving the road is not yet known; the driver has been hospitalized and not questioned

Crash near the town of Lagnieu

A bus carrying schoolchildren crashed on Friday morning in eastern France, French media report, including BFMTV (as reported by Deutsche Welle). According to the prosecutor's office, there were 43 passengers on the bus, including 15 minors; it was traveling from Lyon to Bourg-en-Bresse. The mayor of Lagnieu, Yves Christen, told BFMTV that at around 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) the bus left the road, crossed the highway and hit a tree in a ditch on the opposite side.

Victims and consequences

At least two people were killed — a child and a young adult — and 16 more were injured, three of them seriously. The mayor told BFMTV that the side of the bus had been torn open, and the people who had been on that side, in his words, 'must have suffered serious injuries.' About 100 firefighters and 50 police officers worked at the scene, the road near the crash site was closed, and a local community hall was opened for the injured.

Cause unknown, driver not yet questioned

Mayor Christen called what happened 'an absolute tragedy' and noted that the crash occurred on a stretch of road 'without any particular difficulties': the surface was slightly damp, and, in his words, it is unclear why the bus left its lane. 'Unfortunately, there was a tree in its path, and it was that tree that made the crash so tragic,' BFMTV quoted him as saying. The prosecutor's office has opened a case of causing death by a vehicle, but the driver, who was hospitalized after the crash, has not yet been questioned. Education Minister Édouard Geffray, as reported by Deutsche Welle, expressed condolences to the families, noting that it is 'always a difficult moment' when the victims of a crash are pupils and children.