Two Killed, 16 Injured in Bus Crash Near Lent in Ain, Prefecture Confirms

Update: two killed, 16 injured, prefecture confirms

Two people were killed and 16 others were injured in the bus crash near Lent in the Ain department on Friday morning, November 6, 2026, and three of the injured were in critical condition, the Ain prefecture said in a statement carried by Reuters. Xinhua reported the same toll.

French authorities said in a later clarification that the dead are one minor and one young adult. Authorities had initially reported that two children had died. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu wrote in a post on X that two children had died in the accident. That was the initial official wording, before the later clarification.

The bus was carrying 43 passengers in total, including 15 minors, according to prosecutors. It was travelling between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse, on the route reported locally as the A32 line from Dompierre-sur-Veyle to Bourg-en-Bresse.

Mayor Yves Cristin said 70 people were affected, though the prefecture put the figure at about 40. The town opened its community hall for the victims. Cristin told BFM TV: "I arrived minutes after the accident and people were in shock." He said the side of the bus was torn off, and that the driver lost control and hit a tree in a ditch.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray said his thoughts and those of the government and the education community are with the families.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation for road homicide and aggravated road injuries. The bus driver was among those hospitalised, and the ages of those injured have not yet been confirmed.

A bus believed to be carrying school pupils crashed on Friday morning, November 6, 2026, near Lent in the Ain department of eastern France, and local authorities said there were several victims, Reuters reported.

The bus left the road on the D22 south of Bourg-en-Bresse, hit a tree and ended up in a ditch, Le Journal des Francais reported, citing the Ain prefecture statement and the mayor of Lent.

Mayor Yves Cristin told AFP the bus left the road and hit a tree in the ditch. He said two people were in cardiac arrest and many people were injured.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the crash involved a bus believed to be transporting school pupils. The Ain prefecture described the vehicle as an intercity bus, Reuters reported. Geffray said: "I cannot begin without first expressing my thoughts for these students and their families."

Response at the scene

The Ain prefecture opened its departmental operations centre to coordinate the response. It called on the public to avoid the sector, diversions were put in place, and the prefect travelled to the scene.

Many Ain firefighters were deployed, two helicopters were mobilised, the municipal safeguard plan was triggered, and a neighbouring commune received families, Le Journal des Francais reported.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said he was on his way to the scene, Reuters reported.

Earlier reports

Earlier on Friday morning, reports of deaths were unconfirmed. BFMTV reported two fatalities, but civil protection and the prefecture told reporters they could not confirm any deaths. The prefecture statement later on Friday confirmed the toll above.