Two children have died and 16 people have been injured in a bus crash in eastern France, with three of those hurt reported to be in a critical condition.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the deaths in a post on X on Friday. The local prefecture said the crash affected about 40 people.
The incident happened in the small town of Lent. Yves Cristin, the town’s mayor, said a school bus had been involved, while the prefecture described it as an intercity bus.
Mr Cristin said about 70 people had been affected by the crash, although that figure differed from the estimate given by the prefecture.
“I arrived minutes after the accident and people were in shock,” he told BFM TV. “The side of the bus was torn off, and clearly, the people who were on that side must have been seriously injured.”
Images broadcast by BFM TV showed a blue-and-white bus tilted in what appeared to be a roadside ditch, with a crowd gathered nearby.
Lent’s community hall has been opened to provide care and shelter for those affected. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said he was travelling to the scene.
