Two die as school bus veers off road near Lent in France

A collision involving a bus carrying students occurred in the rural area of eastern France this morning. The accident took place near the town of Lent, located south of Bourg-en-Bresse and northeast of Lyon.

French authorities reported that two people died in the crash. The victims were identified as one minor and one young adult. Sixteen other passengers sustained injuries. The vehicle was carrying a total of 43 people at the time of the incident, including 15 minors.

The bus was operating as an intercity service between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse. Education Minister Édouard Geffray stated that the vehicle was believed to be transporting school pupils. Yves Cristin, the mayor of Lent, confirmed that the bus was a school bus. BFM TV reported that passengers were traveling to local middle and high schools.

A photograph from the scene shows the bus resting in a ditch after veering off the road. Emergency services and law enforcement officers were deployed to the site immediately after the collision. The local prefecture noted that the crash resulted in multiple casualties.

Cristin said that 70 people were affected by the event. The town opened its community hall to provide care and shelter to the victims. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced on X that he was traveling to the site to address what he described as a serious accident.

Geffray offered condolences to the affected families on the sidelines of a visit to a high school in the Paris region. He described the moment as difficult for the education community. The government and local authorities are coordinating the response to the crash.