Twelve Portuguese are reported to have died on impact as the Mercedes Sprinter van in which they were travelling through France hit an oncoming lorry head-on.
The location of the crash is Moulins, Allier in central France and the bodies have been taken to Montbeugny in the Auvergne as families are contacted in Portugal.
The twelve passengers, aged 7 to 63, were travelling from Switzerland back to Portugal for Easter but all died in the crash which occurred just before midnight last night. The 7-year-old died alongside his parents.
The mini-van is said to have swerved into oncoming traffic and drove straight into the lorry which was carrying a load of meat. Its Italian drivers survived the crash but were injured. The 19-year-old driver also is alive suffering only a fractured wrist. He was evacuated to the hospital at Moulins where he is said to be in a state of shock.
The French authorities say the evhicle was designed to carry six passengers.
The area where the accident occurred is considered a dangerous section of the N-79 road near Moulins, referred to locally as 'the road of death.'
With one lane in each direction, police said that the Route Centre-Europe Atlantique is considered 'boring' as the speed is limited to 90km/h and "some drivers become impatient to overtake and others fall asleep."
Nearly sixty firefighters, six medical emergency teams, twenty gendarmes and officers from the Interdepartmental Road Directorate were on site but could do little more than registered the deaths and transport the corpses.
Due to the severity of the impace and resulting wreckage, the road was cut off until early morning.
Comments
And it raises other issues too like following regulations that are intended to protect all road users. Was the van un-roadworthy?
Also this vehicle had too many passengers. Was it therefore being deliberately driven at night and the driver consequently over-tired? Which could have been spotted by neighbouring vehicles at any fuel refilling or toilet break and, in a culture that accepted such 'good citizen' acts - reported without negative consequences.