A bus that was not carrying a passenger was "cut in half" Tuesday morning in Cevins (Savoie) during a collision with a passenger train.
The accident left one seriously injured and 3 slightly injured, we learned from prefectural and judicial sources.
The facts took place around 7 a.m. "near the station" of the town when the vehicle, for an undetermined reason, found itself "stopped on the level crossing" at the arrival of a train providing the link Albertville-Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the prefecture said in a statement.
Under the violence of the shock, the vehicle, "which was only occupied by its driver", was "cut in two", said the Albertville prosecutor's office, questioned by AFP.
He did not say if the driver was among the injured.
47 people involved in the accident
A total of 47 people were involved in the accident: they were "sheltered in a nearby room", according to the prefecture.
“The circulation of trains is interrupted between Albertville and Bourg-Saint-Maurice (…) The resumption of circulation will take place during the day of Friday, because the accident damaged the electrical installations on the tracks”, indicated the SNCF on Twitter.
🔸 The resumption of traffic between Albertville and Bourg Saint Maurice will take place on Friday, as the accident damaged the electrical installations on the tracks.
🔸 Replacement cars have been set up between Albertville and Bourg Saint Maurice.
pic.twitter.com/W3pPcqjOMN
– SNCF TER AURA (@SNCFTERAURA) January 24, 2023
According to the prefecture, catenaries were damaged by the accident.
Substitute coaches have been set up between the two cities, she added.
Fifty firefighters from Sdis (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service), two teams from Smur, the gendarmes as well as SNCF teams were mobilized to the site of the accident, the prefecture further indicated, welcoming their action "for a rapid return to normal".