Four rescued from Seine after bus plunges into river near Paris

Four people have been rescued from the Seine near Paris after a bus driven by a trainee driver collided with a parked vehicle before plunging into the river. The bus was travelling through the town of Juvisy-sur-Orge south-east of the French capital when it veered off the road and fell into the Seine, prosecutors said. “The driver and three other people were on the bus”, prosecutors added. “They have all been rescued,” they said, adding that the police had opened an investigation. Officials did not provide details on the condition of the rescued people. The bus was completely submerged underwater near a bridge. Photograph: Police Nationale/AFP/ The bus was being operated by a trainee in the final stages of her instruction, said a spokesperson for the IDFM transport authority. Both she and her supervising driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol, he said. The bus was scheduled to be recovered from the water on Thursday, he added. Several rescue boats, a drone and helicopters were deployed as part of a recovery effort. Sixteen fire engines with more than 30 firefighters and dozens of police officers were involved as well, the prefecture said. The bus was completely submerged underwater near a bridge, while the parked car struck by the vehicle also ended up in the river, an AFP journalist reported. A witness told AFP she saw the bus sweep the other vehicle as it went over the edge and into the water. …