Two killed, 16 injured in bus crash in eastern France

Two people, including a child, were killed and 16 injured when an intercity bus crashed in Lent, eastern France, near the Swiss border. The incident occurred on Friday morning, AnewZ reported. Three of the injured are in serious condition.

Local authorities said the bus left the road, went into a ditch and struck a tree. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Emergency medical teams and police officers were sent to the scene, and a large-scale rescue operation began. The Ain prefecture activated its departmental crisis management center to coordinate the response.

Lent Mayor Yves Christin said about 70 people were affected by the crash. He opened the town’s community hall to provide assistance and shelter.

Christin told AFP that after the bus left the road and hit a tree, two people went into cardiac arrest.

Initial reports differed on the passengers’ identities. Education Minister Edouard Geffray initially said the bus was believed to be carrying schoolchildren, while the mayor described it as a school bus. The prefecture said the vehicle was operating on an intercity route.

BFM TV reported two deaths before emergency services officially confirmed them. Footage broadcast by the channel showed a blue-and-white bus tilted into a roadside ditch, with several people gathered nearby.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said he was on his way to the scene. The circumstances of the crash are under investigation.