SWITZERLAND: Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo says it has been a 'dramatic' day for Belgium after a bus carrying a Belgian school party home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others
Record ID:
382782
SWITZERLAND: Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo says it has been a 'dramatic' day for Belgium after a bus carrying a Belgian school party home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others
- Title: SWITZERLAND: Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo says it has been a 'dramatic' day for Belgium after a bus carrying a Belgian school party home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others
- Date: 15th March 2012
- Summary: SION, SWITZERLAND (MARCH 14, 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF POLICE STATION (**** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER ELIO DI RUPO AND SWISS AUTHORITIES AT NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Flemish) BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER ELIO DI RUPO SAYING: "Our first thoughts are naturally with the victims, their families and their near ones." (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER ELIO DI RUPO SAYING: "Our first thoughts are naturally with the victims, their families and their near ones. It an absolutely dramatic day for our country, dramatic by the amplitude, dramatic by the people concerned, adults and children." JOURNALISTS TAKING NOTES ON LAPTOP (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) DUTCH AMBASSADOR MONIQUE TWAALFHOVEN SAYING: "It's a terrible tragedy." (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) DUTCH AMBASSADOR MONIQUE TWAALFHOVEN SAYING: "We thank the Swiss and Belgian authorities for their support and their respectful work done for the children and their families. Thank you." JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (French) CANTONAL POLICEMAN CHRISTIAN VARONE SAYING: "Unfortunately the crisis was managed with what we usually do, our usual efforts. We are also used to handling a large number of deceased. But I must tell you, and I speak on behalf of all those who intervened, that today this event is a real tragedy. Very quickly, several hundred people were deployed to the site, to give sanitary and humanitarian aid. Firemen also. These people are tough, and well-versed in crisis management but were extremely moved by the catastrophe that took place today." SIGN READING: "POLICE" (SOUNDBITE) (French) INVESTIGATION PROSECUTOR OLIVIER ELSIG SAYING: "We haven't come very far (with our investigation), we have noted that this bus had seatbelts, that in theory all the children had fastened their seatbelts. What must be said is that the impact was extremely violent and be it seatbelts, seats or anything that was in this bus flew out of its place. So I cannot make a comment on the seatbelt factor but I would say that common sense leads us to say that the seatbelt factor doesn't change anything, in any case not for the children who were seriously hurt or who died, given the violence of the impact. NEWS CONFERENCE UNDER WAY
- Embargoed: 30th March 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Switzerland, Switzerland
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVACTQRSQ60OSGZU8POS3CC3JTUG
- Story Text: At a joint news conference with Swiss and Dutch authorities, Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo spoke on Wednesday (March 14) of a "dramatic" day for his country after after a bus carrying a Belgian school party home from a ski trip crashed into the wall of a Swiss tunnel, killing 22 children and six others.
"Our first thoughts are naturally with the victims, their families and their near ones. It an absolutely dramatic day for our country, dramatic by the amplitude, dramatic by the people concerned, adults and children," Di Rupo said.
Twenty-eight people were killed, including 22 children. Of the 24 injured, three were in a coma. Most pupils were from the towns of Lommel and Heverlee in Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region.
A police photograph showed the bus rammed up against the side of a tunnel, the front ripped open, broken glass and debris strewn on the road and rescue workers climbing in through side windows. It was later towed away from the scene.
Police were alerted to the accident by images on surveillance cameras in the tunnel.
Swiss prosecutors said they were still investigating whether the cause of the accident was a technical problem or human error. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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