Posted on 07/22/2007 6:11:07 AM PDT by lizol
Bus crash kills at least 26 Polish nationals in France
Jul 22, 2007, 12:27 GMT
Paris - At least 26 people died and 20 were gravely injured Sunday when a bus carrying Polish pilgrims left the road and crashed into a river near the south-eastern French city of Grenoble, a police spokesman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
According to witnesses, the driver appeared to be travelling too fast on a steep 7-kilometre descent and the brakes failed to slow the vehicle's speed.
The bus then left the road in a curve at the bottom of the hill, struck a bridge parapet, burst into flames and tumbled some 30 metres into the Romanche River.
'There were bodies everywhere. It was like the end of the world. I've never seen anything like it,' one witness told France-Info radio.
This particular descent on the motorway between Grenoble and Gap has long been considered dangerous and is off-limits for buses without special authorisation, a local official told France-Info.
According to the official, the Polish bus had not received authorization to travel on the motorway. The ban was imposed after a bus carrying Belgian tourists crashed in the same spot in 1973, killing 43 people.
The bus was carrying 51 people, two drivers and 49 Polish nationals who were returning from a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Notre Dame de la Salette, which is located about 50 kilometres south of Grenoble.
Most of the passengers came from the city of Cracow and the surrounding area.
Those poor people. Prayers for them.
Ping.
Stunned!
Our Lady of Sallette,
Pray for them.
8mm
Correction: Most of the passengers came from the cities of Szczecin, Stargrad Szczecinski and the surrounding area.
It sounds like the bus drivers were not Polish nationals, which leads to questions about why locals were not aware of the restrictions. I'm sure there will be much more to report on after the tragedy is dealt with.
Prayer bump.
No, according to the Polish media both drivers were Polish nationals too.
This particular descent on the motorway between Grenoble and Gap has long been considered dangerous and is off-limits for buses without special authorisation, a local official told France-Info.
According to the official, the Polish bus had not received authorization to travel on the motorway. The ban was imposed after a bus carrying Belgian tourists crashed in the same spot in 1973, killing 43 people.
PRayers offered.
Not a happy way to start Sunday. Tragic ruin of too many lives.
Lord have Mercy.
Please post your replies to lizol
Rest in Peace
My prayers go up for all who now mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Deeply saddened. Prayers for comfort for the families and friends that are mourning the losses. Prayers for those who witnessed the tragedy. Prayers for those who had to take care of the whole wreckage. A tragic reminder of the brevity of life and that none of knows the number of our days. How are we living out life?
How very sad. Prayers for those poor people and their families.
Gos rest their souls and comfort their loved ones.
RIP
Prayers up for the victims and their families.
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