Rescue teams working in the area where a bus with passengers on board and a car fell into the Seine river in Juvisy-sur-Orge, near Paris. Photo / AFP
Rescue teams working in the area where a bus with passengers on board and a car fell into the Seine river in Juvisy-sur-Orge, near Paris. Photo / AFP
Four people have been rescued from the River Seine near Paris, France, after a bus driven by a trainee driver collided with a parked vehicle before plunging into the water, officials said.
The bus was travelling through the town of Juvisy-sur-Orge southeast of the French capital when it veered offthe road and fell into the Seine, prosecutors told AFP.
All four people from the bus – the trainee driver, her supervisor and two passengers – were pulled from the water.
An investigation has been opened, and a police source said that the driver had been taken into custody.
“The final tally shows four people involved, all safe and sound,” the prefecture said.
The parked car that also ended up in the water was empty at the time of the accident. Officials said that searches conducted by divers confirmed that no one was left in the water.
The bus was being operated by a trainee in the final stages of her instruction, said a spokesman for the IDFM transport authority.
Both she and her supervising driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol, he said.
French daily Le Parisien said that some of the people were rescued by members of the public.
Doriane Ledain, a coach at a local rowing club, was getting ready to join her team in the water when she saw the bus fall. Ledain and another coach rushed to the club’s safety boats to rescue the passengers.
She said: “We heard cries for help. Two women clung to my boat. They were in shock and certainly couldn’t swim ... the current was very strong.”
Towing teams remove a bus from the Seine river after it fell in with passengers on board. Photo / AFP
The bus was completely submerged under water near a bridge while the blue car struck by the vehicle also ended up in the river.
Several rescue boats, fire engines, a drone and helicopters were deployed in a recovery effort.
“At the height of the operation, more than 110 personnel were deployed,” the prefecture said.
The mayor of Juvisy-sur-Orge, Lamia Bensarsa Reda, said: “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this. I had the fright of my life, but fortunately there were no victims.”
Officials said no risk of pollution in the Seine was detected.
