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France sees second fatal school bus accident in two days

At least six children were killed when a school minibus crashed into a truck in western France on Thursday, a day after another road accident involving a school bus left two youngsters dead.

The scene in Rochefort, France after a school minibus crash on 11 February, 2016
The scene in Rochefort, France after a school minibus crash on 11 February, 2016 Xavier Leoty /AFP
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Thursday's deadly accident happened at around 7:15 am when the school minibus smashed head on with a lorry carrying rubble in Rochefort in the Charente-Maritime region.

The school bus was carrying about 17 people. In addition to the six children who died, three children suffered minor injuries in the accident, according to police.

French President Francois Hollande expressed his condolences to the victims and their families and said everything possible would be done "to shed light on the causes of this tragedy", according to a statement from his office.

Thursday's road accident marked the second time in two days that a school bus crashed in France.

On Wednesday two children, aged 12 and 15, died when their school bus veered off a road in snowy conditions near the Swiss border in eastern part of the country.

That school bus was carrying 32 children on its daily trip to the village school in Montbenoit when it "left the road", a police source in that case said.

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