Four people were rescued from the River Seine near Paris yesterday after a bus driven by a trainee collided with a parked vehicle before plunging into the water.
The incident occurred in Juvisy-sur-Orge, southeast of the French capital, when the bus veered off the road and fell into the river, prosecutors said.
All four occupants – the trainee driver and three other people – were pulled from the water alive, though officials did not provide details on their condition. Police have opened an investigation into the accident.
The bus was being operated by a trainee in the final stages of her instruction, according to a spokesman for the IDFM transport authority. Both the trainee and her supervising driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
The vehicle was completely submerged near a bridge, whilst the parked car struck by the bus also ended up in the river.
Elisabeth (55), a conservatory employee who witnessed the crash, said: “Instead of veering to the right, the bus went straight on and dragged a car down with it.”
She described how bystanders rushed to a nearby barge and threw life rings into the water before emergency services arrived.
Another witness, medical student Amine (19), said he feared a bomb had exploded when he heard the loud crash. “I felt like every firefighter in the department was there,” he said.
The rescue operation involved 16 fire engines with more than 30 firefighters, dozens of police officers, several rescue boats, a drone and helicopters.
The bus was scheduled to be recovered from the water later on Thursday.
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