Fatal France tour bus crash

On a country road near Puisseguin in the Gironde wine region, east of Bordeaux in France, a tour bus crashed head on with a timber truck and both vehicles caught on fire. At least 43 people are known to be dead. It is the worst road disaster in France since 1982 when 52 people died.

The collision occurred at 07:30 local time (05:30 GMT) in a location that residents describe as a notoriously dangerous bend in the road.

One of the 43 killed is a motorist who had stopped to try and help the victims. The driver of the bus came out the horrific accident alive, but the lorry driver was killed, along with his 3-year-old son. There were only 8 survivors, all of whom are in serious condition.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls, speaking from the scene, said the victims had died “in atrocious conditions.”

Authorities said it could take up to 3 days to remove the dead from the bus.

A witness said the lorry driver lost control of his vehicle and was then stranded in the middle of the road. The bus driver came around the bend and tried to avoid the lorry but was unable to stop in time. Other witnesses said the bus driver was able to get some passengers off the bus before both vehicles burst into flames.

Most of the passengers on the bus were elderly persons from an association in the town of Palais-et-Cornemps. They were heading south for a day trip into the Landes region.

France’s president promised a full investigation into what he called an “immense tragedy.”