France coach crash: 29 people injured, 5 serious – 10 Britons on board
TWENTY-NINE people have been injured in a horror coach crash in northern France today.
France: Flixbus coach crash leaves 33 people injured
The accident happened on the A1 motorway in the Somme region just before midday. The Flixbus coach travelling from Paris to London overturned in the rain leaving 29 people injured, including five seriously.
Local police said 10 of the passengers on board the bus, operated by a regional partner for the German transport firm, were British.
Photos of the crash show the coach on its sides with the windscreen smashed.
Police and firefighters attended the scene.
Jamie Kerr, 20, and Gemma Given, 20, both from Northern Ireland, were treated for head and hand injuries.
Mr Kerr's father John Kerr told the BBC the trip had been "a pretty traumatic end to a Halloween weekend".
He said the couple turned down an offer for a bus back to the UK and decided to make their own way home.
He said: "I feel a bit more could have been done for them.
"They'll learn a lot from all of this, but I'm expecting an emotional response when they get home and it all hits them."
A Flixbus spokesman said in a statement: "FlixBus regrets to confirm that, according to the most-recent information available, a long-distance bus on its scheduled route from Paris to London from our local partner operating on behalf of FlixBus was involved in an accident.
DON'T MISS
Horrific MOT failures seen by DVSA officials [INSIGHT]
You could be fined if you don' prepare your car for winter [ANALYSIS]
F1 2021 rules: New regulations released along with official car photos [PHOTOS]
Grosse mobilisation de la #gendarmerie et de l’ensemble des services de l'État pour prendre en charge les victimes d'un #paccident de bus sur l'#A1.
— Gendarmerie de la Somme (@Gendarmerie_80) November 3, 2019
Les gendarmes assurent notamment la libre circulation afin d’éviter le sur-accident et la sécurisation des bagages des passagers pic.twitter.com/NecjSE3yAa
"There were 32 passengers and one bus driver on board.
"Injured passengers were taken to local hospitals; those not requiring medical attention are being taken care of by local authorities.
"FlixBus is in close contact with the relevant authorities in order to determine the exact cause of the accident and to ensure all passengers receive appropriate support.
"An emergency phone number is available for the passengers and their relatives."
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said they were aware of the incident.
An FCO spokesperson said: "We are in contact with the French authorities following a road traffic accident in France, and will do all we can to assist any British people who need our help."