at least three dead and several seriously injured in a bus accident

The accident occurred this Sunday, December 1, late in the afternoon in Porté-Puymorens, near Andorra.

At least three people died in a bus accident which occurred in Porté-Puymorens (Pyrénées-Orientales) around 5 p.m. this Sunday, December 1, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Several other people were seriously injured and are in absolute emergency, specify the firefighters and the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture in a press release. The accident also left seven other people in relative emergency injured.

The Spanish coach, on which there were 47 people including the driver, allegedly hit a cliff on the RN 320. This mountainous road between the Pyrénées-Orientales, Ariège, the principality of Andorra and Spain, was closed in both directions of traffic.

“An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the accident,” specifies the prefecture.

The Minister of Transport is “monitoring the situation closely”

According to the prefecture and firefighters, “the injured were evacuated to the nearest hospitals” and a psychological unit was activated “to support the victims and their families”.

Significant resources were mobilized on site, including 120 firefighters, some from the neighboring departments of Ariège and Aude, and even from Spain or the principality of Andorra. Helicopters from civil security and the gendarmerie were also dispatched to the site.

On his X account, the Minister of Transport sent his thoughts “to the families of the victims and to all the injured” and declared “to follow 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.