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| Bus Crash in Southwestern France Kills 42 | Bus Crash in Southwestern France Kills 42 |
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| 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. | 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. 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| “The circumstances of the accident are unknown at the time being,” the statement said, adding that many emergency workers were on the scene. | “The circumstances of the accident are unknown at the time being,” the statement said, adding that many emergency workers were on the scene. |
| 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. | 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.” | President François Hollande said in a statement, “It is an enormous tragedy.” On Twitter, he said that the government was “totally mobilized.” |
| Mr. Hollande, who was in Greece for a state visit, said at a news conference in Athens that catastrophe was “not too strong a word” to describe the accident. | |
| “We must offer our greatest compassion to the families, share the grief, but also get to know everything about the circumstances of this accident, and provide emergency help because it is still necessary,” Mr. Hollande said. “I am experiencing great sadness.” | |
| Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve headed to the scene, as did 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, including 44 children, 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. |