The shock and the emotion are strong, in the Jura the day after a terrible car accident which claimed the lives of four high school students, including three minors.
This Wednesday afternoon, while driving on a probably icy road, the vehicle swerved and ended up in a lake.
Only one of the five passengers managed to get out of the cabin.
What happened ?
Wednesday afternoon, five people - including only one adult, the driver - were traveling on a small road near Fonttenu (Jura), aboard a Peugeot 206 according to La Voix du Jura.
This two km dead end road, which overlooks Lake Chalain, is bordered by "a fairly steep and fairly wooded slope", said Lionel Pascal, public prosecutor of Lons-le-Saunier.
The vehicle grazed a tree, but it was not stopped in its fall.
This is where the vehicle swerved, left the road, and fell ten meters before plunging into the lake, detailed France Bleu.
The car quickly sank, and only the middle passenger managed to get out.
He then arrested a passerby, who notified the emergency services at 5 p.m., according to France 3.
How was the intervention?
A gendarmerie patrol, which was patrolling not far from the scene of the tragedy, was able to quickly intervene.
"Two gendarmes threw themselves into the water" to try to recover the victims, reported the public prosecutor on BFMTV, but "they did not succeed", he continued, specifying that they were hypothermic coming out of the water.
A rescue operation is underway in Lake Chalain in the Jura.
A car fell into the lake after a road accident late Wednesday afternoon, with several passengers on board.
pic.twitter.com/J71sMBOoIV
— France Bleu Besançon (@bleubesancon) January 19, 2022
Firefighters arrived soon after, but they too were unable to save the victims.
What are the first hypotheses?
The ice appears to have caused the vehicle to swerve.
This is, for the time being, the preferred hypothesis, even if it is difficult to formally prove "because on an icy road, there is no trace of skidding", commented Lionel Pascal, BFMTV.
One thing is certain, "the road was extremely icy, it was impossible to stand on the road without slipping" Wednesday at the end of the day, specified the prosecutor.
As of Wednesday evening, Alexandre Perrin, the mayor of Fonttenu, had explained to the Parisian that freezing rain had fallen during the day.
"The main axes were salted, but not this dead end" on which the high school students circulated.
“When I went there, we couldn't even stand up as it was slipping!
“, he had specified.
A judicial inquiry has been opened to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
Who are the victims ?
They are two girls and two boys, all students at the Paul-Emile Victor high school in Champagnole, a Jura town located about twenty kilometers northeast of the accident site.
Three of them were interns there, as was the young man who survived.
“They took advantage of an outing which was authorized”, on Wednesday afternoon, to make this getaway by car, said the rector of the Besançon academy, Jean-François Chanet, on BFMTV.
After this tragedy which affects the entire educational community and especially @acbesancon, I want to express my pain and send all my thoughts to the families and loved ones of high school students.
State services are fully mobilized with those around the victims: https://t.co/WPRFto7Ft0
— Jean-Michel Blanquer (@jmblanquer) January 19, 2022
Only one of the passengers in the vehicle was an adult: the owner of the car, who had recently turned 18 and had her driver's license.
"We imagine that it was she who was driving," said Lionel Pascal.
The other victims were aged 15 and 17, according to the mayor of Fonttenu contacted by Le Parisien.
From Wednesday evening, a psychological unit was set up for high school students.
It should remain in place until Saturday, said the principal of the establishment during a press conference this Thursday morning.
The relatives of the victims were also accompanied on Wednesday.
What condition is the survivor in?
He was taken care of by the emergency services and evacuated in a state of hypothermia.
He is currently hospitalized, but his life would not be in danger.
He is, however, in "state of shock", said the public prosecutor.
