42 people die in bus and truck collision in southern France

Forty-two people have died after a bus and a truck collided near Bordeaux in southern France at around 7.30am local time on Friday.

An official from the local prefect's office said that another 5 people had been injured after the two vehicles crashed and caught fire on a country road. The accident took place in Puisseguin, near Libourne in the Gironde region about 57 kilometres east of Bordeaux. The bus was carrying about 50 passengers, of which only eight have survived, and was heading south for the Landes region. Local media reports said the passengers were mostly elderly.

Speaking from Athens where he is on a visit, President Francois Hollande said that he had been "plunged into sadness by the tragedy."