Deadly coach crash kills at least 42 in south west France

Emergency services at the scene of the crash

At least 42 people are reportedly dead in a holiday bus horror smash with a lorry that occurred this morning in the village of Puisseguin, about 30miles from Bordeaux. There were 49 people on board the coach who were all members of senior citizens group from Petit Palais, a village just a couple of miles up the road. As both vehicles burst into flames, many victims were trapped inside the wreckage as the fire spread, and were unable to smash windows to get out, according to witnesses.
According to reports in Liberation, the lorry jackknifed, which is when the trailer spins around like a folding pocket knife, and was skidded across both sides of the road. Gérard Dupuy, a town hall official in Puisseguin, told France Info the crash happened on a notoriously dangerous bend where there had been other accidents in the past.

One local, who asked only to be identified as Robert, said: "Many of us heard the collision, and then saw the flames.
"It is thought the driver lost control on a bend.
"It then smashed into the truck.
"There were a lot of elderly people on board and they were unable to get out, so were effectively burned alive."
A local named Elisabeth told a local news site:
"It is a very dangerous curve with a slope on one side and on the other a gap and the forest.
"At the moment, with the leaves having fallen and the humidity, it is slippery.
"When we drive along it we have to be very careful, particularly in autumn."
About 60 firefighters are now on the scene.
Emergency services said only eight people escaped, including the coach driver, with five of those injured. Two passengers who were seriously injured have been rushed to hospital in Bordeaux. Patricia Raichin, the mayor of Petit-Palais, lost three members of her family in the accident, according SudOuest.fr. She confirmed that the coach was transporting members of the club du Petit Palaisien, from the Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps region that has a population of only 756 people. Francois Decauze, a Petit Palais local who knew many of the victims, said: "They were on a day trip. They had all been looking forward to the trip. We are devastated.
Mr Decauze said his wife had been due to go on the trip, but pulled out at the last minute.
He added: "We heard that those travelling on the coach had to try and break windows to get out. This would have caused panic."
The lorry involved in the accident was transporting wood, a French Interior Ministry spokesman said.
The spokesman added that "excessive speed may have been a factor. The claims are being investigated."
It is the deadliest road accident in France since 1982 when 53 people including 44 children died in Beaune, close to Dijon.
Today French President Francois Hollande said: "The French government is fully mobilized on this terrible tragedy."
Some of those who died have already been identified and their next of kin informed.
The area around the accident site is now completely closed, the Mirror reports.