Bus Carrying Students Veers Off Road and Hits Tree in Eastern France: Girl, 7, and Man, 18, Killed, 16 Injured
Lent — A serious road crash occurred on the morning of November 6 near Lent, in the Ain department of eastern France: an intercity bus traveling from Lyon to Bourg-en-Bresse left the road, struck a tree and ended up in a ditch, killing a 7-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man on board and injuring 16 other people, three of them seriously.
The Ain prefecture and the Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor's office said the crash happened at about 7 a.m. local time on the D22 road near Lent. The bus was carrying 43 passengers, including 15 minors on their way to local middle and high schools. Lent Mayor Yves Cristin told French media the bus 'left the road and hit a tree in the ditch'; the road was slightly wet and there was no fog, and he said it was not understood why the bus veered off course.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot traveled to the scene, described the crash as a 'tragic accident' and expressed condolences to the victims' families; Education Minister Édouard Geffray also responded. Ain Prefect Louis-Xavier Thirode told BFM TV that preliminary blood tests on the bus driver found no traces of alcohol or drugs; the driver was hospitalized and had not yet been questioned.
Prosecutors said an investigation into homicide by vehicle has been opened and the cause of the crash remains under investigation. The bus, operated by the regional authority, was running the Lyon to Bourg-en-Bresse route. (Source: Ain Prefecture, France)
Source: Ain Prefecture, France
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Photo: 图：法国安省朗镇镇政厅（资料图）。照片：CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Town hall of Lent, Ain, France (file photo). CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
