Four Dead After Bus With Ukrainian Students Overturns in France
A tragic accident in western France on Friday claimed the lives of four people and left nine others seriously injured when a bus carrying Ukrainian students overturned on a motorway near the town of Degre, in the Sarthe region, about 230 kilometers southwest of Paris.
According to French authorities, the bus was the only vehicle involved in the crash. The group on board included Ukrainian teenagers aged 15 to 17 who were returning home after a school exchange trip. All four of the deceased were adults, and among those injured, two are currently in critical condition. Eighteen others sustained minor injuries.
Local prosecutors confirmed that the two Ukrainian drivers of the bus have been detained on suspicion of manslaughter and involuntary wounding. French officials have pledged a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.
Ukraine’s ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, described the accident as “very, very sudden” after speaking with the affected people. The Ukrainian embassy is in contact with the families of those involved, and some of the children have already been reunited with their parents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that three of the four people who died were Ukrainian citizens. He thanked French authorities for their support and expressed hope for the recovery of those in critical condition.
French Labour Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou both offered their condolences. Bayrou stated that the government would do everything necessary to uncover the circumstances surrounding the accident.
