French Crash Victims May Take Weeks To Identify
French investigators say it could take up
to three weeks to identify all of those killed when a bus and a lorry
burst into flames after a head-on crash near Bordeaux.
Authorities have begun analysing the charred wreckage of the
tourist bus, which collided with the lorry in the village of
Puisseguin.
The crash killed 41 passengers on the bus, mostly French
pensioners who were on a day trip to the wine-producing region of Bearn.
The body of the child was discovered some time after the crash
The bodies of 17 of the victims - two from the lorry and 15 from the
coach - have been removed from the site of the accident and taken to
Bordeaux for identification, say Sky sources.
Eight of the passengers survived after motorists smashed windows on the burning vehicle to free those inside.
The lorry driver and his three-year-old son also died.
The boy's body was discovered some time after the crash, after relatives told authorities he must have been inside the lorry.
Elements found at the site are expected to be taken to a Parisian laboratory for analysis on Sunday evening.
A few miles from the crash site is Petit-Palais. Twenty-eight of the victims came from this tiny hamlet.
One of the villagers who died was the former mayor and the chairman of the pensioners group who organised the trip.
The current mayor, Patricia Raichini, has lost three of her
sisters-in-law. Another of the victims has been named locally as Elodie
Fourcade, who is understood to have lived in Libourne.
Four survivors are in hospital and in a critical condition. Two have severe head trauma and two have severe burn injuries.
The bus driver has been released from hospital.
He has been hailed a hero for managing first to open the
door of the bus and then managing to help some of the survivors from the
vehicle.
He knew many of them personally. He is now helping police to understand what happened.
The road is known as a black spot for accidents but it was resurfaced in 2011.
According to regional officials, all the signage and warnings were present and clear for drivers to see.
Christophe Auger, the prosecutor for the nearby commune of
Libourne, said it is "impossible at this stage" to determine what caused
the crash.
Mr Auger said the investigators' main priority over the
coming days will be to identify the victims, a task made difficult by
the charred state of their remains.
From aerial footage it appears that the lorry jackknifed and the bus hit the front of the trailer.
Inside the small community hall in the neighbouring town of Puisseguin 43 candles have been lit.
Each has been placed on top of a wine barrel to represent the 43 who died.
This is the heart of one of France's best known wine regions.
Through the night and into the morning relatives have
gathered to place photographs on the barrels, next to the candles to
remember the dead.
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