At least three dead and eight injured after tourist coach smashes into cliff near Pyrenees ski resort
A tourist coach struck a precipice close to a French ski resort, resulting in three fatalities and multiple injuries.
The tragedy occurred on Sunday afternoon close to the Andorran town of Port-Puymorens in the Pyrenees.
According to reports, eight people—including a child—have been hurt.
After hitting the cliff, the bus, which had 48 people on board, crashed on the RN320 road.
“Five helicopters are involved in an operation to rescue more victims,” stated a local emergency spokesperson.
Three people have already away thus far, and eight more are in critical condition at surrounding hospitals.
A four-year-old youngster who was traveling with his parents is among those in critical care.
The relatives of the deaths and everyone injured are in my prayers, said France’s Transport Minister Fran ois Durovray on X.
In the face of this dire circumstance, I want to praise the dedication of the local government, emergency services, and security agencies. I am keeping a careful eye on the situation since road safety is still of utmost importance.
The sole vehicle involved in the collision was the bus, which was returning to its home depot in Barcelona after a day excursion to Andorra.
It is believed that a brake issue caused the driver to lose control.
“We were driving behind,” an off-duty firefighter named Laurent told the Perpignan-based Ind pendant news outlet. The motorist had been zigzagging for one and a half kilometers.
“It seemed like he was trying to rub the barrier, as if he wanted to lose speed, before crashing into the cliff.”
“We must be cautious about the human toll because this is a tragedy,” stated Jean-Philippe Aug, the mayor of Port-Puymorens. Overnight, it can climb.
“I can tell you that the RN320, the road in question, is not known for having a high accident rate.
“It is narrow, of course, and the bend on the descent is a bit sharp, but until now it has never been the cause of accidents of this seriousness” .
In order to assist survivors and their families, Mr. Aug stated that a psychological section had been established in the town’s vacation center.
Around 150 miles from Barcelona, at the Andorran ski resort of El Pas de la Casa, everyone on the coach had spent the day shopping for Christmas.
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