Bus carrying Ukrainians caught in serious accident in France: 4 dead, 45 injured
Source: European Pravda with reference to BFMTV, a French news broadcast television
Details: The bus carrying adults and teenagers from Ukraine flipped into a ditch on the A81 motorway at 11:58, near the town of Degré, between the Sillé-le-Guillaume and Le Mans-Nor interchanges.
Early reports suggest that in addition to the four dead and 11 seriously injured, 34 people suffered minor injuries, BFMTV said.
The motorway was closed in both directions after the accident to facilitate evacuation and rescue operations.
A total of 87 firefighters from the SDIS (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service) and 49 fire engines arrived at the scene.
No further information is available at this time on the details of the accident, the number of vehicles involved or the identity of the people affected.
The prefect of the Sarthe department, Emmanuel Aubry, has taken charge of the rescue operations, and a departmental operational headquarters (COD) has been set up to coordinate the various services working at the scene. Aubry "calls for maximum vigilance in the area and not to interfere with the work of emergency services".
The Ukrainian Embassy in France reported that Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to France Vadym Omelchenko and embassy staff immediately went to the scene.
"We are in constant contact with the prefecture and local services to promptly assist those injured and clarify the circumstances," the embassy said in a Facebook post.
Background:
Four Ukrainian citizens were killed in a road accident in Austria in April.
In mid-February, a Kyiv-Chișinău bus got into an accident, leaving 16 people injured.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Business Insider
Niger's military government seizes control of industrial gold mine from Australian operator
Niger's military government has announced the nationalisation of the country's only industrial gold mine, accusing its Australian operator of 'serious breaches' as the junta intensifies efforts to gain control over the nation's natural resources. Niger's military government has nationalized the SML gold mine citing strategic interests and resource control. The government accuses the Australian operator of breaches including failure to meet investment commitments. Similar state intervention efforts have occurred in countries like Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso to secure greater local benefits from mining operations. Military leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who took power after a military coup ousted former President Mohamed Bazoum in an overnight operation, announced the move on state television on Friday. The junta said the mine has entered an ' alarming economic situation.' An official order from General Tiani said: 'In view of serious breaches and with a view to saving this highly strategic company, the state of Niger has taken the decision to nationalise SML.' The statement added, ' This measure is in line with the vision of the president of the republic, which is to promote the full appropriation of its natural resources by the Nigerien people.' The junta criticised McKinel for failing to deliver on a $10 million investment plan, which it said resulted in tax and wage arrears, layoffs, rising debt, and halted production. According to a report by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, SML's industrial gold production stood at 177 kilograms in 2023, while artisanal production across Niger reached 2.2 tonnes. Security challenges complicate operations in Niger's mines In May, a bomb explosion in Niger's Tillaberi region, a hotspot for jihadist activity, claimed the lives of at least eight workers at the SML mine. This incident prompted the Nigerien army to deploy over 2,000 soldiers to combat insurgent groups in the area, which remains a focal point of the country's security crisis. Consequently, the government decided to take control of the gold mine. This move is part of a broader trend in West Africa, where military juntas have adopted an interventionist approach, reviewing and renegotiating mining contracts to increase state participation and control. Notably, Niger nationalized the local branch of French uranium producer Orano in June, In Mali, following the 2020 coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the military government pressured Canadian mining company IAMGOLD and other foreign operators to increase local ownership and improve investment commitments. It also reviewed contracts with companies like Hummingbird Resources and Randgold Resources to renegotiate terms more favourable to the state. Similarly, Guinea's junta pressured companies like Société Minière de Boké (SMB) and others to increase local ownership and ensure more direct benefits from bauxite exports. In 2022 and 2023, Burkina Faso's juntas took similar steps after their coups, pushing companies like Endeavour Mining, which operates some of Burkina Faso's largest gold mines, to increase investments and improve contributions to the local economy. However, unlike Niger, which has moved towards outright nationalisation in some cases, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea have focused more on contract revisions and stronger oversight rather than formal seizure of assets.
American Military News
11 hours ago
- American Military News
Study Abroad And Build Drones: How Foreign Children Are Serving Russia's Military Machine
This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission. CHUI, Kyrgyzstan — Samira was about to send her 16-year-old daughter from where they live in Chui, northern Kyrgyzstan, to study at a prestigious school in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. What she didn't know was that the school, Alabuga Polytechnic — a technical institution located in the republic's Alabuga free economic zone — was producing combat drones used in Russian air strikes on Ukraine. 'I thought it was a regular vocational school program,' Samira, who asked to remain anonymous by using a pseudonym, told RFE/RL. 'But when I learned about the military ties and drone production, I was shocked.' 'Russia Needs You' The Russian authorities are freely distributing promotional and recruitment material for the Alabuga Polytechnic in Kyrgyz schools. One brochure urges students to 'Join the…best!' A picture of young people dressed in military uniforms promises to 'train [students] to become the best specialists on assembling unmanned aerial vehicles for the Russian Army's needs!' On one brochure's cover page, there is a picture of a drone alongside the pro-Russian military symbols 'Z' and 'V.' Months earlier, according to local media reports, Alabuga Polytechnic brochures also appeared in schools in neighboring Kazakhstan. It wasn't just brochures. This spring, recruiters from Alabuga Polytechnic visited schools in northern Kyrgyzstan. Students as young as 14 are being invited to apply, something that has raised concerns among parents. The gender-inclusive recruitment, along with promises of a high-tech education, career growth, and monthly salaries or stipends ranging from 30,000 rubles ($382) to 70,000 rubles, are a big draw. The Alabuga special economic zone appears to have been recruiting students through an online game called Business Cats, where players raise and trade virtual cats to simulate entrepreneurship and develop business skills. According to the authorities in Alabuga, the game was 'a financial literacy and entrepreneurship program for schoolchildren available not only in Russia but in other former Soviet republics.' Local schoolteachers in Kyrgyzstan reportedly promoted the game via WhatsApp. Military Link Confirmed On April 2, 2024, a Ukrainian drone strike on the Alabuga free economic zone injured seven people, including minors. Further attacks followed that year, on April 23 and June 15, the latter killing two people and wounding 13. Ukrainian military officials later confirmed the strikes targeted drone facilities used to attack Ukrainian infrastructure, labeling Alabuga a 'legitimate military target.' Russia has also admitted that drones are being produced in Alabuga. In July, Russia's Defense Ministry TV channel Zvezda confirmed in a program that Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones, branded domestically as Geran, are being mass-produced in the Alabuga special economic zone. The program showed the scale of the assembly operations, which involves college students. According to the Zvezda report, Timur Shagivaleyev, director of the Alabuga special economic zone, said 'thousands' of drones are produced at a factory with the help of students from Alabuga Polytechnic. Footage showed young workers, many appearing to be teenagers, operating machinery and assembling parts. 'Hundreds of machines, thousands of workers, and everywhere you look — young people,' the program's host said. 'Boys and girls work here and study at the same time.' Children Traveling Alone Parents like Samira became alarmed when they were told that their children would fly alone to Russia, unaccompanied by an adult or state representative. 'That's when I started to be worried,' Samira said. 'They were asking for my daughter's travel documents, ID card, and even offered to buy her ticket themselves.' One recruiter, she said, messaged her repeatedly on Telegram. 'They kept calling. When I stopped responding, they called again and again,' Samira said. Myrza Karimov, an education expert in Kyrgyzstan, has spoken out about the situation. 'If our Education Ministry has made an agreement, then someone from the ministry should [chaperone] the group and hand them over on the other side,' Karimov said. 'Because the children are under 18, it's not right to just send them off and assume they'll be received on the other side. Even when school-aged children participate in various international sports events, a state representative always accompanies them.' Some Kyrgyz parents have already seen their children leave for Alabuga. Kazybek, a Chui local who asked to use a pseudonym, told RFE/RL that his son traveled to Alabuga on July 15 and that the school covered the flight expenses. 'My son told me there are now 21 students from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and other countries. He hasn't started official classes yet. They are just playing paintball and military-style patriotic games,' he said. Kazybek added that he signed documents that exempted the school from liability if students were injured during such activities. 'They said it's not real combat, just simulation,' he said. How Much Is The Kyrgyz Education Ministry Involved? Dinara Bektasheva, a senior official in the Education Ministry, confirmed that Alabuga Polytechnic representatives have been visiting schools in Kyrgyzstan since 2023. 'They did this independently,' she said. 'We didn't participate in the school visits.' However, Mirlan Toktobekov, the principal of a school in the city of Tokmok in the Chui region, said that when three Alabuga representatives visited in April, 'we were ordered by those above us to allow them into our school.' He added that two students participated in the recruitment drive, one of whom advanced and applied to enroll. Kyrgyzstan's Education Ministry has signed a cooperation memorandum with the Alabuga special economic zone. The agreement promotes technical and vocational cooperation and supports Kyrgyz citizens' employment within the zone. Bektasheva said 58 Kyrgyz students are currently enrolled in Alabuga but denied that the school manufactures drones. 'There's a lot of misinformation,' she said. For most families, schoolteachers were the primary source of information about Alabuga Polytechnic. One parent from Tokmok, whose daughter passed the recruitment tests and is set to travel to Alabuga, said, 'We trusted the teachers. We were told their own children were going there.' It's the murky recruitment process that worries education expert Karimov. And, he adds, 'if children are truly being recruited based on a memorandum signed by our Education Ministry, then this needs to be made public.'
Newsweek
12 hours ago
- Newsweek
Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills One, Damages Industrial Site, Russia Says
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ukraine targeted at least one "industrial" site in the Russian city of Saratov, hundreds of miles from Ukrainian territory, the region's governor said on Sunday, with a former Ukrainian security official telling Newsweek an "oil refinery is still burning." Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Why It Matters Ukraine routinely attacks Russia's military and industrial sites with long-range drones, aiming to disrupt Moscow's ability to keep its war effort against its neighbor grinding on. Kyiv has repeatedly homed in on Russian oil refineries in Saratov and nearby Engels, which is a major hub for Moscow's strategic bombers. Russia's oil sector is under Western sanctions, but it still holds a major position in the global market. What To Know Roman Busargin, the governor of the Saratov region, said one person had died and an industrial building had sustained unspecified "damage." One drone landed in the courtyard of a residential building and the residents were evacuated to nearby temporary accommodation in a local school, Busargin said. A Kremlin-linked Telegram channel said glass was "broken on several floors," with the outside of the building damaged and several parked cars set ablaze. An image showing rising smoke, published by a Ukrainian official on Sunday after the governor of Russia's Saratov region said Kyiv's drones had targeted an "industrial" building in the city of Saratov overnight. An image showing rising smoke, published by a Ukrainian official on Sunday after the governor of Russia's Saratov region said Kyiv's drones had targeted an "industrial" building in the city of Saratov overnight. Andriy Kovalenko/Telegram "Among the enemy's targets in the Saratov region was an oil refinery," one of Russia's influential military bloggers said. Saratov's "oil refinery is still burning after Ukrainian drone strikes," Ivan Stupak, a former official with Ukraine's SBU security service, told Newsweek. Kyiv is trying to cause as "much economic disruption" as possible, he said. Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, on Sunday posted an image to messaging app Telegram showing dark smoke billowing from what appears to be an industrial site in the distance, with the caption: "Saratov." Newsweek could not independently verify the image. Russia's Saratov oil refinery was heavily hit by Ukrainian attack drones overnight, with the morning sun revealing multiple pillars of smoke and active fires raging across the refinery complex. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 10, 2025 A Russian Telegram account with purported links to Moscow's security services said Saratov residents had heard "at least 17 explosions" and reported "several fires." An unknown number of drones were reported in Engels, according to the account. Engels sits across the Volga River from Saratov, and is home to a significant chunk of Russia's long-range bombers, which are able to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. Russia's Defense Ministry said early on Sunday that between 8 p.m. on Saturday and shortly after 6 a.m. on Sunday Moscow time, the country's air defenses had "destroyed and intercepted" 121 Ukrainian drones over 15 different regions, including the Crimean Peninsula Moscow annexed from Kyiv in 2014. A total of eight Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Saratov, Moscow said. Russia's federal air transport agency imposed temporary restrictions on the airport at Saratov, state media reported. Separately on Sunday, Kyiv said it had recaptured the village of Bezsalivka, a settlement in Ukraine's Sumy region close to the border with Russia. Moscow has been pressing down on northern Sumy since rolling back Ukraine's presence in Kursk earlier this year. Kyiv had launched an offensive into the western Russian region in August 2024. What People Are Saying Saratov regional governor, Roman Busargin, said on Sunday: "There is damage at one of the industrial enterprises. All the necessary emergency services are working on the spot." What Happens Next President Donald Trump announced Friday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on August 15 for a high-stakes summit over the Ukraine war, after saying earlier in the day that it would be a "popular" setting "for a lot of reasons."
