A bus carrying schoolchildren crashed near Lent in eastern France on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring 16, prompting prosecutors to open a homicide-by-vehicle investigation, Deutsche Welle reported.
DW said the dead included a child and a young adult. Its opening account said three people were seriously hurt, but it also cited BFMTV as reporting two.
French prosecutors said the bus was carrying 43 passengers, including 15 minors, as it traveled from Lyon to Bourg-en-Bresse. They said they had opened an investigation into homicide by vehicle.
Mayor Yves Cristin said the bus struck a tree in a ditch at about 7 a.m. (0600 GMT). He described the roadway as slightly damp and said he could not explain why the bus had left its lane.
DW reported that about 100 firefighters and 50 police officers responded and that the road near the crash site was closed. It also reported that Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot was traveling to the scene.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the government and education community were thinking of the affected families. The driver was hospitalized and had not yet been questioned, prosecutors said.
