The incident took place in the town of Puisseguin. Both vehicles were on fire after the collision. French President Francois Hollande twitted that the government "is fully mobilised on this terrible tragedy".
Un accident a provoqué de nombreux morts en Gironde. Le gouvernement français est totalement mobilisé sur cette terrible tragédie.
— François Hollande (@fhollande) 23 октября 2015
About 60 firefighters have been deployed to the scene; the number of casualties may be growing.
La Préfecture de Gironde annonce un bilan de 42 morts à Puisseguin. #accident https://t.co/wAQwKkfK0H #Bordeaux pic.twitter.com/vySdur0jmT
— France Bleu Gironde (@Bleu_Gironde) 23 октября 2015
According to preliminary information, most of the elderly passengers on the bus died at the scene, only five people survived the accident.
This incident may be the worst French road disaster since one in Beaune in 1982 in which 52 people died.
