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France Bus Crash: Australian Man Onboard Overturned Coach

Some 29 people injured, including five with serious injuries, as vehicle tips over in the Somme region.
Emergency services are at work on the site of an accident after a bus from the Flixbus company overturned.
FRANCOIS LO PRESTI via Getty Images
Emergency services are at work on the site of an accident after a bus from the Flixbus company overturned.

An Australian man was among the 33 people involved in a bus crash in northern France on Sunday.

The FlixBus coach was travelling from Paris to London when it tipped over in the rain around 11 am GMT on the A1 motorway in the Somme region, leaving 29 people injured, including five people with serious injuries.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is providing consular assistance to an Australian man following a bus crash in France,” a spokesperson for The Department of Foreign Affairs told HuffPost Australia.

FlixBus said five people were seriously hurt and other passengers have been treated in local hospitals.

Pictures of the incident show the bus on its side on a grass verge close to the road with a broken front windshield and a large hole in the front right side.

According to local police, 10 British citizens were on board as well as citizens of nine other nations.

Two 20-year-olds from Northern Ireland, Jamie Kerr and Gemma Given, were treated for head and hand injuries.

Kerr’s father John Kerr told the BBC the trip had been “a pretty traumatic end to a Halloween weekend”.

He said the couple were offered a bus back to the UK but decided to make their own way home.

“I feel a bit more could have been done for them,” he said.

“They’ll learn a lot from all of this, but I’m expecting an emotional response when they get home and it all hits them.”

Local police and firefighters attended the scene.

A FlixBus spokesperson told PA: “FlixBus regrets to confirm that, according to the most-recent information available, a long-distance bus on its scheduled route from Paris to London from our local partner operating on behalf of FlixBus was involved in an accident.

“There were 32 passengers and one bus driver on board.

“Injured passengers were taken to local hospitals; those not requiring medical attention are being taken care of by local authorities.

“FlixBus is in close contact with the relevant authorities in order to determine the exact cause of the accident and to ensure all passengers receive appropriate support.

“An emergency phone number is available for the passengers and their relatives.”

DFAT said consular assistance may include liaison with or visits to local hospitals, liaison with local authorities, provision of lists of medical providers and assistance communicating with family members or nominated contacts.

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