At least 42 people, mostly elderly tourists, were killed after a bus and truck collided in southwest France Friday morning in the deadliest road incident in France for more than 30 years.
The bus was full of day trippers on a wine country excursion when the incident occurred on a country road near the village of Puisseguin, which is about 50 km east of Bordeaux, France 24 reports.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, however Puisseguin’s Mayor Xavier Sublett said on RTL radio that the truck driver had lost control of his vehicle.
The image below broadcast by BFM television showed the remains of the bus — nothing but a collapsing, charred frame engulfed by smoke.
DIRECT VIDEO - #Puisseguin : première photo du car accidenté, envoyée par un Témoin BFMTV https://t.co/LIEhlp6yN7 pic.twitter.com/eSoBSNZ35A— BFMTV (@BFMTV) October 23, 2015
Aerial footage broadcast by TF1 captured the horrific aftermath of the crash.
Accident #Puisseguin : Les caméras de #TF1LeJT ont survolé le lieu de la catastrophe ➡ https://t.co/hfTimPdKTs pic.twitter.com/7XxZ3BCtp2— TF1 Le JT (@TF1LeJT) October 23, 2015
Eight people escaped from the bus after the driver opened the door, but others were trapped as the blaze consumed the vehicles, Sublett said on i-Tele television. Police said the death toll was so unusually high because both vehicles caught fire.
Local media say this is the bend where the crash occurred.
DIRECT #Puisseguin: "c'est un virage très dangereux" affirme une riveraine https://t.co/81m0bvTPAL pic.twitter.com/l4teRp4nG3— Sud Ouest (@sudouest) October 23, 2015
Helicopters were evacuating severely burned victims, and scores of emergency workers were at the scene. Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve were en route.
#Puisseguin les familles des victimes commencent à se réunir cellule psychologique LIVE ►https://t.co/dLqZb1pkYW pic.twitter.com/l7oNGhIqfq— France3 Aquitaine (@F3Aquitaine) October 23, 2015
The truck was carrying lumber, according to BFM television. The bus was carrying retirees from the town of Petit Palais on a one-day tourist trip to another area of southwest France, legislator Gilles Savary said.
French President Francois Hollande, on a visit to Greece, called the crash a "terrible accident."
Un accident a provoqué de nombreux morts en Gironde. Le gouvernement français est totalement mobilisé sur cette terrible tragédie.— François Hollande (@fhollande) October 23, 2015
The bus had traveled just seven kilometers (four miles) when the collision occurred, Savary said.
Les gendarmes dressent un périmètre de sécurité devant la salle des fêtes où les blessés sont soignés. #Puisseguin pic.twitter.com/n3CepiyifK— France Bleu Gironde (@Bleu_Gironde) October 23, 2015
The weather in the region was overcast Friday morning but not rainy.
The crash is the deadliest on French roads since a bus accident in Beaune in eastern France in 1982 claimed the lives of 53 people, most of them children, according to France 24.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.