42 people killed as bus and lorry burst into flames after head-on crash

At least 42 people have been killed in a lorry and bus crash near Bordeaux in south-west France. There were only eight survivors of the head-on collision, with many feared to have died because both vehicles burst into flames. The victims are mostly members of a senior citizens’ social club, who had set off on a day trip from a nearby town minutes earlier. The drivers of the bus and the lorry, which was loaded with wood, are reported to be among those who died in the crash.

(This is) a terrible accident in France that caused the death of 40 people… The French government is fully mobilised on this terrible tragedy

French president Francois Hollande

The crash happened on a single carriage road in the village of Puisseguin and the impact was so fierce that both vehicles burst into flames. Three of the survivors were seriously hurt, while the other five have minor injuries. They are said to have escaped by smashing the windows of the bus to get out. Sixty firefighters were working to put out the blaze. It is France’s worst road accident 1982 when 53 people, including 44 children, died in Beaune in Cote-d'Or.

I saw a huge, very large, and very intense plume of smoke. It seemed to me like a war zone and that’s not saying it enough

Witness

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