World

Pensioners killed in French truck collision

October 23, 2015 6:34 pm

The crash happened on a country road near Puisseguin in the Gironde wine region, east of Bordeaux. Both vehicles then caught fire.

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

It is the worst French road disaster since 1982, when 52 people died.

Article continues after advertisement

The bus collided with the timber truck at 07:30 local time, at what local residents described as a notoriously dangerous bend in the road.

Both vehicles quickly caught fire. Local people reported seeing a plume of smoke from several kilometres away.

Video on French television showed two blackened vehicles, with the bus facing the wood-transporter’s trailer, its cab skewed to one side.

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