At least 41 die in lorry-bus crash in France

PanARMENIAN.Net - At least 41 people have been killed in a collision between a lorry and a bus in south-west France, reports say, according to BBC News.

The two vehicles are reported to have collided head-on near the town of Puisseguin, in the Gironde wine region, east of Bordeaux.

Sud Ouest newspaper says the bus was carrying elderly people who were setting off on holiday.

This is reportedly the worst French road disaster since one in Beaune in 1982 in which 52 people died.

According to French media, the crash happened at around 07:30 local time (05:30 GMT) on a single carriageway road just outside the village of Puisseguin.

The force of the impact caused both vehicles to ignite.

At least 41 passengers on the bus and the driver of the lorry died in the blaze. Only eight people managed to escape, five of whom are injured.

A large number of those on board the bus were reported to have been members of an elderly people's association in the nearby town of Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps.

The cause of the crash is not yet clear. One local resident told TV channel iTele the scene of the crash was a notorious danger spot.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls, along with the interior and transport ministers are expected to go to the scene.