French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed on social media that two children had died in the accident. The prefecture of Ain stated that one minor and one young adult were killed. While one source described the deceased as a minor and a young adult, the Prime Minister specifically identified the victims as two children. Discrepancies also exist regarding the total number of people affected; the mayor of Lent, Yves Cristin, stated that 70 people were impacted, whereas the local prefecture reported the number to be approximately 40.
Among the injured, three people are in critical condition, according to the prefecture. News broadcaster BFM TV reported that passengers included children traveling to middle and high schools in the area. A photo from the scene showed the bus had veered off the road and landed in a ditch. The mayor of Lent described the vehicle as a school bus, although the local prefecture officially classified the accident as involving an intercity bus.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said he was heading to the site following the “serious bus accident.” He stated, “An accident involving an intercity bus occurred near Lent, France, with multiple casualties reported.” Emergency services and law enforcement officers were deployed to the scene immediately after the crash.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray addressed the incident during a visit to a high school in the Paris region. “It is always a difficult moment when our students, our children, are victims of an accident like this,” Geffray told reporters. “My thoughts, and those of the government and the entire education community, are with the families.”
The town of Lent has opened its community hall to provide care and shelter for crash victims and their families. Local gendarmes and rescue workers remain at the site as investigations continue. No specific cause for the crash has been announced yet, and officials have not released further details on the circumstances leading to the vehicle leaving the road.
