Six children dead after train crashes into school bus in Millas, France
The death toll from a crash involving a school bus and a train has risen to six, French investigators have said.
They were killed when their bus was split in half in the ‘terrible accident’ in southern France.
Four teenagers were confirmed dead last night but two 11-year-old girls have since succumbed to their injuries. Another 18 were injured, 14 of them children.
Officials have described it as one of the worst accidents involving a school bus in France for 30 years.
They are now looking into whether human error or a technical fault was to blame for the collision in the town of Millas, close to the border with Spain.
Investigators only finished identifying the dead overnight due to the severity of their injuries, with the mayor of the neighbouring village describing the scene as ‘a vision of horror’.
The female driver of the bus was among the injured and has not yet been questioned, but Perpignan prosecutor Jean-Jacques Fagni said investigators had spoken to the train driver.
It is unclear whether the automatic barriers at the crossing were open at the time of the crash, though national rail operator SNCF said that ‘according to witnesses, the level crossing was functioning normally’.
All the children on the bus were between the ages of 11 and 17, it was revealed today.
It is not yet known how the bus came to be stuck between the barriers of the crossing and an investigation has been launched.
The train is believed to have been travelling at around 60mph when it crashed into the bus, causing it to split in half.
It also led to the train coming off the tracks, but none of the 25 passengers were injured.
President Emmanuel Macron said: ‘All my thoughts for the victims of this terrible accident involving a school bus, as well as their families. The state is fully mobilised to help them.’
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