This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/world/europe/france-bus-crash.html

The article has changed 15 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Bus Crash in Southwestern France Kills More Than 40 Bus Crash in Southwestern France Kills 42
(35 minutes later)
PARIS — At least 42 people were killed on Friday morning when a bus and a truck collided on a road in southwestern France, according to local officials. PARIS — Forty-two people were killed and eight others were injured on Friday morning when a bus and a truck collided on a road in southwestern France, according to local officials.
A statement from the Élysée Palace said that the “terrible accident” had taken place on the D17 secondary road near the village of Puisseguin, close to the city of Libourne and about 35 miles east of Bordeaux.A statement from the Élysée Palace said that the “terrible accident” had taken place on the D17 secondary road near the village of Puisseguin, close to the city of Libourne and about 35 miles east of Bordeaux.
The truck, which was used to transport wood, swerved at a curve in the road and struck the bus, causing both vehicles to burst into flames. Sixty firefighters were reported to be at the scene, trying to bring the blaze under control. The truck, which was used to transport wood, swerved at a curve in the road and struck the bus, causing both vehicles to burst into flames. Sixty firefighters were reported to be at the scene, trying to bring the blaze under control. According to the prefecture in Bordeaux, the bus was traveling to Arzacq-Arraziguet from Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps, about five miles north of Puisseguin, a total distance of 120 miles.
Five people were lightly wounded, and three survived the crash unharmed, according to a spokeswoman for the prefecture in Bordeaux. She said that no children were believed to have been killed. Of the 50 people involved in the crash, 42 were killed and eight were injured. Two of the wounded sustained head injuries and two others were burned, while four were lightly injured, the prefecture said in a statement.
Most of the victims were retirees who were on a day excursion, an Interior Ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henry Brandet, told BFM TV. “The circumstances of the accident are unknown at the time being,” the statement said, adding that many emergency workers were on the scene.
“It is an enormous tragedy,” President François Hollande said in a statement. On Twitter, he said that the government was “totally mobilized.” Pascal Romain, a council member in Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps, said that the passengers on the bus were members of the town’s seniors club. “It is a real tragedy because it is a very small town, and everybody knows one another,” he said.
President François Hollande said in a statement, “It is an enormous tragedy.” On Twitter, he said that the government was “totally mobilized.”
Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve were headed to the scene, as was Alain Juppé, a former prime minister who is now the mayor of Bordeaux.Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve were headed to the scene, as was Alain Juppé, a former prime minister who is now the mayor of Bordeaux.
If the initial death toll is confirmed, Radio France reported, it would be the worst road disaster in France since one that killed 53 people near Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy, in July 1982. If the initial death toll is confirmed, Radio France reported, it would be the worst road disaster in France since one that killed 53 people, including 44 children, near Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy, in July 1982.