DPA
Five children and an adult on a day trip were killed in northeastern France yesterday after their minibus collided with a truck, local media reported.
The children, who were all in their early teens, were on their way back from the Orient regional forest park when the minibus slammed headlong into the truck on a minor road near the town of Troyes, the mayor of their hometown told BFMTV.
The minibus driver was among the victims.
The driver of the truck and another vehicle escaped with minor injuries.
The minibus was transporting seven children from Nangis, around 140km to the west of the crash site near Courteranges village.
An image published by the local l’Est Eclair newspaper showed the front of the minibus was completely demolished by the impact of the collision.
Two children and a monitor accompanying the group were rushed to hospital with serious but non life-threatening injuries, interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told BFMTV.
Investigators said the minibus appeared to have veered into incoming traffic, and speculated that driver may have suffered a malaise, nodded off or swerved to avoid something.
President Francois Hollande issued a statement expressing his “great sorrow” and demanded a thorough investigation.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Junior Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier travelled to the crash site yesterday afternoon.
