Skip to content

Trainee driver crashes bus into River Seine

Maia Davies
Reuters The River Seine in Juvisy-sur-Orge. The roof of a bus can be seen under the water, on which a small group of people are sitting. On the road nearby there are police cars and fire engines.Reuters
The local transport authority said drug and alcohol tests taken by the trainee had come back negative

A trainee drove a bus into the River Seine after hitting a parked car and veering off the road on Thursday morning, officials have said.

The local transport authority told the BBC the driver was nearing the end of her "practical learning" during the incident in Juvisy-sur-Orge, some 20km (12 miles) south of Paris.

Drug and alcohol tests have come back negative, a spokesperson said, and the cause of the incident is currently unknown.

L'Esson prefecture said all four passengers on board had been rescued from the water, where more than 90 firefighters, divers and police took part in a recovery operation.

A spokesperson for Île-de-France Mobilités said the driver was accompanied by a "lead driver" and two passengers.

Its president has ordered an internal investigation into the incident, it added.

Local politician Claire Lejeune wrote on X that the bus fell into the Seine "with four people on board, including a trainee driver" and thanked emergency services for their response.

Reuters The roof of the bus is visible under the river. Six people in wetsuits are sat atop it, and one more person is in the water on the left of the frame.Reuters
The French river brigade was among the agencies to respond to the incident
Watch: Authorities work to retrieve the bus from the Seine

Juvisy-sur-Orge Mayor Lamia Bensara Reda said the driver had "lost control" of the vehicle near a station close to the riverbank, "before plunging into the Seine and dragging a parked car" with it.

"Everyone was quickly rescued and, thankfully, is safe and sound," she added in a post on Facebook.

L'Esson prefecture said the number of casualties was still being finalised.

An eyewitness told French news agency AFP the bus missed a right turn near the river and instead "went straight on and dragged a car down with it".

Bystanders rushed to the scene and life rings were thrown out before emergency services arrived, 55-year-old Elisabeth said.

Reuters A view of the bus under water from the street, where several people in high-vis jackets are stood and cordons and traffic cones have been set out.Reuters
The bus could still be seen in the river as of 11:00 local time, AFP reported

Another witness, 19-year-old Amine, said it felt as though "every firefighter in the department was there".

AFP reported that several rescue boats, a drone and helicopters were deployed as part of the recovery effort.

The local government shared a video at around 14:00 of the bus being pulled out of the river, and said the car had also been been retrieved.