Fatal bus crash in southern France; 1 dead, 17 injured

A fatal bus crash has occured in southern France on Sunday afternoon. At least one person was killed and 17 others were injured in the traffic accident that took place in the Aude department in southern France, the Depeche newspaper reported, citing a communique from local authorities.

The incident reportedly took place near Bizanet Commune. The bus that belongs to the company Flixbus was going in the direction of Narbonne-Toulouse. It overturned and fell into a ditch shortly before 13:00 (11:00 a.m. GMT). There were 30 people on board plus the driver, according to the prefecture of Aude.

Traffic on the highway was interrupted for a while. More than 60 firefighters,10 ambulances, 60 rescuers were mobilized to the site of the accident. Two helicopters with medical teams and 10 gendarmes also intervened. An emergency medical-psychological unit has also been set up.

There were no reports immediately available about the extent of the injuries. The cause of the accident was not established immediately.

In order to evacuate the victims, the police have had to partially block the road, which has led to the accumulation of cars and long traffic jams.

The company Vinci Autoroutes said on Twitter that at the moment, "traffic on two lanes of the highway has been restored".

#A61 : circulation rétablie sur les deux voies en dir° de Toulouse. Restez prudents et écouter @Radio1077

— VINCI Autoroutes (@VINCIAutoroutes) October 6, 2019