BUS CRASH KILLS TWO PEOPLE IN EASTERN FRANCE

French authorities said two people died after an intercity bus carrying school pupils crashed near Lent, south of Bourg-en-Bresse in eastern France, on Friday morning. The crash happened at around 7am, and authorities reported 16 injuries, including three people in a critical condition. The Ain prefecture initially described both people who died as minors; the Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor’s office later identified them as a minor and a young adult. Prosecutors said the bus carried 43 passengers, including 15 minors, on a route between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse.

Yves Cristin, the mayor of Lent, said the bus “left the road and hit a tree in the ditch”. He said the crash affected 70 people, without specifying how that figure related to the passenger total. Cristin also said officials had activated an emergency plan and opened a municipal hall to accommodate those involved. The prefecture said emergency services and law enforcement officers had deployed to the scene.

Authorities urged members of the public to avoid the area while emergency teams responded. A Civil Security spokesperson described rescue work involving “extensive medical and rescue operations”. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on X that he was heading to the crash site near Lent. Education Minister Édouard Geffray expressed support for the families while speaking to journalists during a visit to a secondary school in the Paris region.