PARIS (AP) — A bus carrying British seasonal workers crashed and burst into flames Tuesday on the way down from a renowned ski station in the French Alps, killing the 64-year-old driver and badly injuring four other people, local officials said.
Three people were flown by helicopter to a hospital after the bus, carrying 53 people, slammed into a cliff on a bend on the road down from the Alpe d’Huez ski station. The winding ascent to the ski station is one of the most legendary climbs in cycling — and a frequent stop on the Tour de France route.
More than 100 French firefighters and police, arriving by 30-odd vehicles and two helicopters, swarmed to the scene, said Frederic Perissat, the secretary-general of the Isere regional government. Other local officials had earlier said the bus was carrying people on holiday, but Perissat specified that those on board were actually seasonal workers from Britain mostly in their 20s and 30s.
In a statement, the Isere government said the bus, which was towing an unspecified trailer, belonged to SkiBound, a British company that organizes school ski trips. The company said it had deployed a special assistance team to support those affected by the accident and set up an emergency hotline.
Perissat said the cause of the accident — whether a mechanical malfunction, driver error, or some other mishap — was not immediately clear, and an investigation was under way.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was aware of a “tragic incident” involving British nationals and was providing consular assistance.
In March 2012, a bus heading to Belgium crashed, killing 22 children and six adults in Sierre, Switzerland, as they were returning from an exuberant ski holiday.
