A young man and a girl die and three other people are seriously injured in a bus accident in eastern France

Two people died this Friday in an accident involving a bus on an intercity transport line with schoolchildren in the town of Lent. The Minister of Transport of France, Philippe Tabarot, has specified that the two fatalities are a 7-year-old girl and a young man of 18, while three people are in a state of absolute emergency "with worrying injuries."

Speaking to the press from Lent, a town in the department of Ain (east) where the accident occurred, Tabarot added that there are "about twenty people in relative emergency" and has spoken of "an enormous trauma" due to the accident, which occurs almost two years after another similar one in Châteaudun (center), where a school bus driven by a driver who tested positive for cannabis crashed and caused the death of a 15-year-old student, as well as 20 injured.

Regarding the young driver of this Friday's accident, the minister has indicated that he was injured and had to be released from the bus. Tabarot has clarified that the man tested negative in the first tests to detect drugs or alcohol.

"We will have to wait some time to ask the necessary questions and collect statements from eyewitnesses. Therefore, this will require some time (...) I have no doubt that we will know very quickly," said Tabarot.

The bus "went off the road and hit a tree in the ditch," the mayor of Lent, Yves Cristin, told AFP. The accident occurred around 7:00 a.m. on the D22 departmental highway, according to the mayor. The impact site, after a slight curve to the right, did not present any special meteorological difficulties early in the morning, according to witnesses.

The vehicle, which covered the route between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse, was transporting 43 people, including 15 minors, according to the Prosecutor's Office, which has opened an investigation for road homicide.

"A thought for these students and their families"

For his part, the French Minister of Education, Édouard Geffray, expressed his solidarity with the students affected by the bus accident and conveyed solidarity and support to the families.

"I want to have a thought for these students and their families. When our students, our children, are victims of accidents of this nature, it is always a very difficult test," declared the minister.

The head of Education stated that the Government would closely follow the evolution of the situation and conveyed to families the support of the Executive and the entire educational community.