Four people were rescued from the River Seine near Paris on Thursday after a bus driven by a trainee driver collided with a parked vehicle before plunging into the water, officials said.
The bus was travelling through the town of Juvisy-sur-Orge southeast of the French capital when it veered off the road and fell into the Seine, prosecutors told AFP.
All four people from the bus — the trainee driver, her supervisor and two passengers — were pulled from the water.
An investigation has been opened, and a police source said that the driver had been taken into custody.
“The final tally shows four people involved, all safe and sound,” the prefecture said.
The parked car that also ended up in the water was empty at the time of the accident. Officials said that searches conducted by divers confirmed that no one was left in the water.
The bus was being operated by a trainee in the final stages of her instruction, said a spokesman for the IDFM transport authority.
Both she and her supervising driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol, he said.
‘Fright of my life’
French daily Le Parisien said that some of the people were rescued by members of the public.
Doriane Ledain, a coach at a local rowing club, was getting ready to join her team in the water when she saw the bus fall. Ledain and another coach rushed to the club’s safety boats to rescue the passengers.
“We heard cries for help,” Ledain told the newspaper. “Two women clung to my boat. They were in shock and certainly couldn’t swim,” said the coach, adding that “the current was very strong.”
Earlier Thursday, the bus was seen completely submerged under water near a bridge while the blue car struck by the vehicle also ended up in the river.
Both were towed out of the water Thursday afternoon.
Several rescue boats, fire engines, a drone and helicopters were deployed in a recovery effort.
“At the height of the operation, more than 110 personnel were deployed,” the prefecture said.
The mayor of Juvisy-sur-Orge, Lamia Bensarsa Reda, said she was stunned.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this,” she was quoted as saying. “I had the fright of my life, but fortunately there were no victims.”
‘Dragged down with it’
A witness told AFP she saw the bus sweep the other vehicle with it as it went over the edge and into the water.
“Instead of veering to the right, the bus went straight on and dragged a car down with it,” said Elisabeth, a 55-year-old conservatory employee, who asked that her last name not be used.
Bystanders then rushed to a nearby barge, and life rings were thrown out before emergency services arrived, she added.
Another witness said he feared a bomb had gone off when he heard the loud noise.
“I felt like every firefighter in the department was there,” said Amine, a 19-year-old medical student, without providing his last name.
Officials said no risk of pollution in the Seine was detected.
