A 12-year-old teenager succumbed to his injuries after the accident of a minibus which also injured eight people, Friday evening August 25, near Houeillès, in Lot-et-Garonne, announces the prefecture of the department.
Two other children, evacuated to Bordeaux like the teenager who died during the night, are still in absolute emergency at the Pellegrin hospital, said Florent Farge, secretary general of the prefecture and sub-prefect of Agen, during a conference. Press.
Two other victims in absolute emergency, who were treated at Agen hospital, were transported to Toulouse. Finally, two others, in relative emergency, are still hospitalized in Marmande.
The accident occurred on a secondary road in the village of Houeillès, located near Landes, around 6 p.m. Friday evening. The minibus was transporting children who were staying in a holiday center in Sauméjan, near Houeillès, and who were returning from an aquatic activity. He violently hit the parapet of a bridge before falling into a ditch.
A judicial investigation was opened on Friday evening and the driver, a 26-year-old “salaried driver” “unknown to the justice, gendarmerie and police services”, was taken into custody overnight from Friday to Saturday after having was briefly hospitalized, added the public prosecutor of Agen, Olivier Naboulet.
According to the first elements of the investigation, which remain to be confirmed, the driver had not consumed alcohol and the analyzes concerning a possible taking of narcotics are still in progress, added the prosecutor.
Supervisors are ‘in shock’
Secretary of State for Youth and Universal National Service (SNU) Prisca Thévenot visited the scene on Saturday afternoon, accompanied by Secretary of State for Children Charlotte Caubel.
According to Ms Thévenot, the supervisors are “in shock” but “continue to be responsible”. Seven animators arrived as reinforcements on Saturday to relieve the supervisors present, she said. She also indicated that she had “conducted an administrative investigation” in addition to the judicial investigation already underway, because “the challenge is to shed light on this absolute tragedy”.
According to the Office of the Secretary of State for Youth and the SNU, the children in this center are aged between eight and 14 years old and “the majority” of them depend on the Childhood Social Assistance (ASE ).
The deceased teenager was attached to the ASE de la Somme, said Sophie Borderie, president of the Lot-et-Garonne departmental council.
Transport Minister Clément Beaune assured on Saturday that he had set up “a system via the SNCF” to allow “all parents who wish to find their children who are in camp, or even come and pick them up”, to “arrive quickly and free of charge there to be with their children.”