Two dead in France bus horror as seven-year-old girl among victims

A journey that should have been an ordinary Friday morning trip has ended in tragedy in eastern France, after a bus carrying dozens of passengers crashed into a roadside tree, killing a seven-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man.

The collision happened at around 7am on Friday, November 6, in the town of Lent, as the bus travelled between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse.

Two people died in the crash, while another 16 were injured, including three who were left in a critical condition. The vehicle was carrying 43 passengers, among them 15 children, according to the Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office.

Bus crashed into tree after leaving road

The town’s mayor, Yves Cristin, told French media that the bus left the road before striking a tree in a roadside ditch.

Describing the aftermath to BFM TV, he said he arrived just minutes after the collision and found passengers in shock.

“The side of the bus was torn off,” he explained, adding that those sitting on that side of the vehicle were likely to have suffered particularly serious injuries.

Photographs from the tragic bus crash showed a blue and white bus tilted into a ditch, with extensive damage to its front and trees lining the roadside.

Driver taken to hospital as investigation begins

Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision, with the Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office confirming it would examine possible road homicide and aggravated road traffic injuries.

The driver was injured and taken to hospital following the crash, meaning police had not yet been able to question him.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said initial tests found no traces of alcohol or drugs in the driver’s blood.

Mayor Cristin described the weather at the time as foggy, with a wet road, although he said there had been no major difficulties.

Fabrice Pannekoucke, head of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, cautioned against speculation, saying there were no particular explanations or interpretations that could yet be offered.

French leaders pay tribute to victims

The tragedy prompted messages of condolence from France’s political leaders.

President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with the two victims, those injured and their families, adding that the country stood alongside them. He also thanked the emergency teams involved in the rescue operation following the tragic bus crash.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the collision as tragic and praised the firefighters, medical personnel and police who responded.

More than 100 firefighters and 50 gendarmes attended the scene, while medical helicopters were deployed to transport seriously injured passengers to a specialist hospital.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray also expressed his sadness, saying it was always difficult when children became victims of accidents of this nature.

Tabarot confirmed that the bus was not exclusively used for school journeys, although a significant number of schoolchildren were travelling on board.