The dead persons were passengers on a minibus travelling from Switzerland to Portugal when the accident occurred sometime before midnight.
Twelve people confirmed dead in bus wreckage
Local authorities in Allier, central France have established that Twelve people died when a minibus collided with a heavy truck on Good Friday's eve.
The crash occurred near the town of Moulins when the minibus swerved into the path of oncoming traffic and had a head-on with the truck.
A statement from the local authority read thus; “The twelve passengers of the minibus, who were all Portuguese, are dead,”
An initial inquiry showed that the driver of the minibus was not under the influence of alcohol, and police have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash.
A judicial source around the area said that the road “is quite monotonous, the speed limit is 90 kilometres per hour. There are those who are impatient and those who fall asleep." The source also added that there are only four passing zones in the area.
“They’ve been talking about adding a second lane for 40 years,” he added.
The road was closed following the accident, and was expected to remain shut until 9:00 am (0800 GMT) Friday, with the deceased persons kept at a local village hall which is being used as a makeshift mortuary.
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