Lyon, France, May 17: At least 28 were killed when a sleek, double-decker German tour bus crashed through a guardrail on a rain-swept French highway, plunged down an embankment and flipped onto its roof early today. Ambulances and helicopters rushed the injured to hospitals.
French President Jacques Chirac immediately offered his "sincere condolences" to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
At least six of the injured were in serious condition, said Col. Serge Delaigue, the regional director of fire rescue services. The bus carried 72 passengers and two drivers. One of the drivers was confirmed dead. Nearly all of the people aboard were believed to be Germans from several cities. The bus had taken on passengers in Cologne and Hanover.
At least some of them had won the trip as a prize in a contest in Germany.
The accident north of the city of Lyon in Dardilly, about 370 kilometers southeast of Paris, happened at 5 am (0930 IST) when the driver apparently lost control. Witnesses and officials said the bus hit a guardrail, barreled down a grassy embankment and hit an electrical pole before flipping onto its roof.
The bus had been traveling all night, and regulations require that two drivers take turns at the wheel. The bus had toured throughout Germany and was headed toward Spain. Bureau Report