Gaillac, in Tarn, experienced a tragic weekend. Sunday morning, when I woke up, five young people had lost their lives on a departmental road. An investigation was opened to identify the victims and understand the circumstances of the accident. 20 Minutes takes stock of the fact that, since the start of the year, 27 people have died on the roads of Tarn, according to the prefecture.
Where and when did the accident take place?
Around 4:45 a.m., on the RD988 between Gaillac and Lisle-sur-Tarn, the firefighters were called to a road accident. When they arrived, they found a car on fire with four people burned inside. A fifth person is in cardiorespiratory arrest, he seems to have been ejected from the car and is 20 meters from the scene of the tragedy. Despite emergency resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead on the spot.
What happened?
According to the first elements of the investigation, the car was driving towards Gaillac on a small bend after a long straight line. The rental Renault Captur would have hit a first plane tree on its right, then a second. With the impact, the vehicle was projected to the other side of the road, hitting a third plane tree. The car then allegedly caught fire, burning the passengers alive. The vehicle was found cut and two and completely burned by firefighters upon their arrival, according to La Dépêche du Midi.
Who are the victims?
The bodies have not yet been identified. According to France Bleu Occitanie, the victims could however be young people in their twenties, residents of Gaillac. For its part, the town hall confirmed to France Bleu on Sunday, that families from Gaillac and Brens are still looking for their children. The mayor met Sunday afternoon families are worried.
Where is the investigation?
Excessive speed on this departmental road is a first hypothesis considered by the Albi public prosecutor's office in a press release, despite the absence of visible braking marks on the road. According to the municipality of Gaillac, there was no traffic, vehicles or pedestrians at the time of the accident. The weather conditions were also quite good. The prosecution announced that an investigation had been opened to try to understand how and why the car caught fire and to identify the victims. “The flagrant investigation into 'manslaughter by a vehicle driver' will aim to identify the victims and the circumstances of the accident, an accident which, at present, only appears to involve a single vehicle. », Specified the Albi prosecutor's office in its press release. The option of an evening outing is also being considered.
