Bus carrying schoolchildren crashes in eastern France, killing 2 and injuring 16
An intercity bus whose passengers included children on their way to school crashed on Friday morning in eastern France, killing one minor and one young adult, French authorities said.
The prefecture in the Ain region said 16 people were injured in the crash, including three seriously.
The accident happened near the small town of Lent, in a rural area north-east of Lyon. News broadcaster BFM TV reported that a photo from the scene showed the bus had veered off the road and landed in a ditch.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on X that he was heading to the site following a serious bus accident near Lent.
The prefecture said in a statement that an accident involving an intercity bus had occurred near Lent, with multiple casualties reported. Emergency services and law enforcement officers have been deployed to the scene, it said.
BFM TV reported that the passengers included children travelling to middle and high schools in the area.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray told reporters on the sidelines of a visit to a high school in the Paris region that it is always a difficult moment when students and children are victims of an accident like this. He said his thoughts, and those of the government and the entire education community, were with the families.
