In the Pyrénées-Orientales, a bus accident leaves at least two dead

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS – A serious accident occurred in the Pyrénées-Orientales this Sunday, December 1st. A Spanish coach overturned on a mountain road near Andorra in the ski resort of Porté-Puymorens, located a two-hour drive from Toulouse and Perpignan. The accident left at least two dead. Seven passengers are in absolute emergency, seven others in relative emergency.

The accident occurred around 5:00 p.m., on the RN 320, a mountainous road between the Pyrénées-Orientales, Ariège, Andorra and Spain. The Spanish coach hit the cliff and overturned on the roadway, while it was carrying 47 passengers including the driver on board.

The bus passengers are mainly of Spanish nationality, we learned from a police source. A four-year-old child is among those injured in relative emergency, the same source said.

More than 120 firefighters mobilized

To deliver first aid to this area made difficult to access by the winding roads, at least four helicopters from civil security and the gendarmerie were therefore mobilized, indicates the prefecture.

More than 120 firefighters then arrived on site, coming from the Pyrénées-Orientales, as well as the neighboring departments of Ariège and Aude. They also have the reinforcement of Catalan and Andorran firefighters, who have come to support in this border area.

More than 70 police officers are also at the scene of this accident. “An investigation is underway to determine the exact causes of the accident”indicates the prefecture, which also announces that a “psychological unit was activated to support the victims and their families”.

The Minister of Transport François Durovray sent his thoughts via his X account “to the families of the victims and to all the injured” and declared “monitor the situation closely”. “I would like to salute the commitment of the emergency services, security, and local authorities in the face of this dramatic situation”he added.

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