A judicial investigation for “involuntary manslaughter by deliberate violation of a particular obligation of prudence or safety” was opened following the bus accident which occurred on Sunday in Porté-Puymorens. This road tragedy left two dead and forty-two injured, according to the provisional report from the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture.
The investigation was entrusted to the Prades gendarmerie and the research section of the Montpellier gendarmerie (Hérault). It also covers “unintentional injuries and endangering the lives of others,” said the Marseille prosecutor’s office. The Perpignan public prosecutor’s office has withdrawn from the investigation for the benefit of the collective accident center of the Marseille public prosecutor’s office.
At least seven people still hospitalized
“Several injured people are still hospitalized, in France and Spain, including the driver, of Spanish nationality,” continues the prosecution in a press release, without further details on their condition. The text mentions “48 registered occupants of this bus”, previous information mentioned 47 people on board. The Colombian consulate in France reported in a press release on Tuesday that seven nationals were still hospitalized the day before following the accident.
The bus hit a cliff on Sunday around 5 p.m., on a mountain road. Testimonies spoke of “zigzags” of the bus on the roadway before the impact. According to other testimonies collected by L’Indépendant, and corroborated by a witness cited by TF1, the driver mentioned brake problems just before the accident. Very seriously injured, he could not be heard, local authorities said on Monday.
The coach was on a day trip from Barcelona to Pas de la Casa, Andorra, to take advantage of Black Friday discounts. The vast majority of passengers were Colombians residing in Spain. A Spaniard, a Moroccan and an Ecuadorian were also among the passengers.
Our file on road dramas
Since Monday, the Spanish press has questioned the organization of this trip and the condition of the vehicle. According to the Catalan language daily We buythe damaged coach has not passed a technical inspection since October 2023. Regulations require an inspection every six months for this type of vehicle.
