Five children aged 10 to 12 and their driver were killed today when the minibus they were travelling in crashed headlong into a truck coming the other way in France, authorities said.
Two other kids and the adult accompanying them were badly injured in the accident, which took place near Courteranges village in central France, a source close to the probe into the crash told AFP.
According to the source, who refused to be named, the driver of the minibus may have suddenly become unwell or may have fallen asleep when the vehicle crashed into the truck on the other side of the road in the countryside.
The three survivors were badly hurt and had broken bones but they were not in any danger, the source added, while the truck driver was "in shock".
The cause of the crash was not yet known but a photo published by local daily L'Est Eclair purporting to be at the scene of the accident shows the wreck of the minibus, the front of which has been completely destroyed.
Firefighters stand next to the wreck and the road is littered with debris from the crash.
In a statement, the French presidency said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier would go to the crash site.
