In an early morning incident on Thursday, a trainee bus driver in Paris accidentally drove a bus into the River Seine, resulting in both the driver and passengers being submerged in water.
The bus, which had just departed a station in the Juvisy-sur-Orge area of Paris at around 9:30 a.m., was carrying three passengers when it collided with a parked car and subsequently plunged into the river, bringing the car along with it.
Dramatic photos captured the scene, showing the bus submerged in the river with a blue car floating close by.
Onlookers quickly sprang into action, helping to rescue all four individuals from the river, while emergency responders arrived at the scene, deploying 16 fire trucks, 34 firefighters, 60 police officers, and specialized river rescue units.
A witness named Natasha recounted to local media, as reported by the Telegraph, “I realized something was happening when I heard screams and looked out the window to see people in the water, three of them swimming.”
Natasha added that she tossed a lifebuoy to a young woman in distress.
“The person grabbed it and managed to get on my terrace. She was in shock and wasn’t coherent … it was really remarkable,” she said.
Rowing coach Doriane Ledain said she saw the bus fall into the river and rushed to help.
“Two women clung to my boat. They were in shock and certainly could not swim,” she said. “They were out of strength. They weren’t talking anymore.”
“They were very lucky,” rescuer Merlin Sacotte said, adding that if help had arrived minutes later, “We wouldn’t have seen the accident and wouldn’t have been able to intervene.”
Mayor Lamia Bensarsa Reda said all four people onboard were safe.
“It was more of a scare than anything serious, but a huge shock that must give us all pause for thought,” she said on Facebook, according to the Telegraph.
“We are doing everything we can to secure the quays.”
Last July, the Seine was reopened for public swimming for the first time in more than a century, with designated areas including newly built decks near the Eiffel Tower.
