Incident Overview
A trainee driver lost control of a bus and drove it into the River Seine after colliding with a parked car on Thursday morning, officials reported. The event took place in Juvisy-sur-Orge, approximately 20km (12 miles) south of Paris.
The local transport authority informed the BBC that the driver was close to completing her "practical learning" phase at the time of the incident.
Drug and alcohol tests conducted on the driver returned negative results, according to a spokesperson, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
L'Esson prefecture confirmed that all four passengers aboard the bus were rescued from the water. The recovery operation involved more than 90 firefighters, divers, and police officers.
Rescue Operation and Official Statements
A spokesperson for Île-de-France Mobilités stated that the driver was accompanied by a "lead driver" and two passengers during the incident. The president of the organization has initiated an internal investigation.
Local politician Claire Lejeune posted on X that the bus "fell into the Seine with four people on board, including a trainee driver," and expressed gratitude to the emergency services for their prompt response.
Juvisy-sur-Orge Mayor Lamia Bensara Reda described the sequence of events, saying the driver "lost control" of the vehicle near a station close to the riverbank, "before plunging into the Seine and dragging a parked car" along with it.
"Everyone was quickly rescued and, thankfully, is safe and sound,"
she added in a Facebook post.
L'Esson prefecture noted that the number of casualties was still being finalized.
French news agency AFP reported that several rescue boats, a drone, and helicopters were deployed as part of the recovery effort.
