Latest news with #Ambert
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Three spectators die after car veers off road during French auto rally
Three spectators have died after a car driven by a 22-year-old racer veered off the road during an auto rally in France on Saturday, authorities said. The driver of the modified Peugeot 208 and her 51-year-old female co-driver were taken to hospital but their lives were not in danger, prosecutors said. The accident occurred near the town of Ambert in central France at about 11am on Saturday. Two men died at the scene and prosecutors later announced that a third man had died after being airlifted to hospital. The victims were two brothers, aged 70 and 60, and a 44-year-old man, according to the public prosecutor's office, which opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter. Several people who witnessed the accident were in shock and nine people were taken to a psychological support unit set up in the nearby village of Saint-Just. 'This is a tragedy for the world of racing,' said Jöel Mathurin, a government official for the department of Puy-de-Dôme. The road at the accident site is flanked by cornfields. Several hours after the crash, pieces of plastic and glass fragments were visible near the scene, according to an AFP journalist. Regional prosecutor Laure Moisset said the impact was 'very violent'. 'Today, we have three families mourning the loss of loved ones in this accident,' she said. When asked about the possibility that the victims were in an area closed to the public, Moisset said she preferred to 'be cautious'. 'It is still a little too early to be precise,' she added. 'The race was extremely well organised.' Initially, the prefect had said the spectators hit by the car were in a restricted area marked off by red tape, despite the areas reserved for the public being marked with green tape. In a short statement after the accident on Saturday, the rally organisers said the race was halted at 10.49am. All spectators were asked to leave the scene and the event's award ceremony was cancelled. The investigation was 'in its early stages', the prosecutor said. The road where the accident took place, almost a straight line according to the authorities, has been closed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
3 Spectators, Including 2 Brothers, Killed After Race Car Veers Off Course
Two brothers, ages 60 and 70, and a 44-year-old father died after they were struck by a car racing in the Rallye de la Fourme d'Ambert Three people in France have died after they were struck by a race car, authorities say. According to the French news outlet La Montagne, two brothers, ages 60 and 70, and a 44-year-old father died on the morning of Saturday, July 26, in Ambert, in the Puy-de-Dôme region located in central France. The outlet reported that the driver, a 22-year-old woman and her co-driver, a 51-year-old man, were taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The pair were driving a modified Peugeot 208, a European subcompact car, as a part of the Rallye de la Fourme d'Ambert. The outlet reported that around 30 firefighters and several police officers were called to the scene. The 44-year-old man who died was transported to a local hospital, where he was then pronounced dead. La Montagne reported that the three spectators were seemingly positioned near red tape in a prohibited area, but investigators, including the local prosecutor, said they haven't determined exactly where the victims were standing. A colonel who spoke with the outlet said that the accident took place during a segment of the race that was "almost in a straight line, not on a tight bend." The local prosecutor's office has also opened an investigation, and the driver and co-driver will take toxicology tests, per the outlet. Race officials canceled the rally soon afterwards. "Following the serious accident in the special N1, the organization and the race management decide to permanently stop the rally at 10:49," the race's management team stated on Facebook. "Flat rate times apply to competitors who are parked closed and haven't made the specials. There will be no awards." In a post shared to X, the Puy-de-Dôme prefecture account wrote that several local and national police organizations would be taking part in the investigation. "This morning, a tragic accident occurred during the Rallye de la Fourme d'Ambert. Following a vehicle in the race going off the road, several spectators were struck," the post stated. "The prefect of Puy-de-Dôme is on the scene to monitor the situation alongside the emergency services and mobilized authorities." "Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and all those affected by this tragedy," the account added. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to France Bleu, a race steward helping to manage the same race was killed last year on July 27. The 42-year-old man was attending to a car that had rolled off the road when he was struck by a second car. François Chautard, the mayor of Saint-Just — the community where the race took place — told La Montagne that he's had "a great deal of emotion and sadness" following the incident. "My thoughts are especially with the families," Chautard added. "The rally has been running for 30 years, and the last two years have seen one disaster after another." Read the original article on People
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Three spectators die after car veers off road during French auto rally
Three spectators have died after a car driven by a 22-year-old racer veered off the road during an auto rally in France on Saturday, authorities said. The driver of the modified Peugeot 208 and her 51-year-old female co-driver were taken to hospital but their lives were not in danger, prosecutors said. The accident occurred near the town of Ambert in central France at about 11am on Saturday. Two men died at the scene and prosecutors later announced that a third man had died after being airlifted to hospital. The victims were two brothers, aged 70 and 60, and a 44-year-old man, according to the public prosecutor's office, which opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter. Several people who witnessed the accident were in shock and nine people were taken to a psychological support unit set up in the nearby village of Saint-Just. 'This is a tragedy for the world of racing,' said Jöel Mathurin, a government official for the department of Puy-de-Dôme. The road at the accident site is flanked by cornfields. Several hours after the crash, pieces of plastic and glass fragments were visible near the scene, according to an AFP journalist. Regional prosecutor Laure Moisset said the impact was 'very violent'. 'Today, we have three families mourning the loss of loved ones in this accident,' she said. When asked about the possibility that the victims were in an area closed to the public, Moisset said she preferred to 'be cautious'. 'It is still a little too early to be precise,' she added. 'The race was extremely well organised.' Initially, the prefect had said the spectators hit by the car were in a restricted area marked off by red tape, despite the areas reserved for the public being marked with green tape. In a short statement after the accident on Saturday, the rally organisers said the race was halted at 10.49am. All spectators were asked to leave the scene and the event's award ceremony was cancelled. The investigation was 'in its early stages', the prosecutor said. The road where the accident took place, almost a straight line according to the authorities, has been closed.
The Australian
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Australian
Motor rally accident kills three spectators in France
Three spectators died in central France on Saturday after a car driven by a 22-year-old woman racer veered off the road during an auto rally, authorities said. The driver of the modified Peugeot 208 that hit the spectators and her 51-year-old woman co-driver were taken to hospital but their lives were not in danger, prosecutors said. The accident occurred near the town of Ambert in central France around 11 am (0900 GMT) on Saturday. Two men died at the scene and prosecutors later announced that a third man, airlifted to hospital, succumbed to his injuries. The three killed were two brothers, aged 70 and 60, and a 44-year-old man, according to the public prosecutor's office, which opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter. Several people who witnessed the accident, were in shock, and nine people were taken to a psychological support unit set up in the nearby village of Saint-Just. "This is a tragedy for the world of racing," Joel Mathurin, the top government official for the department of Puy-de-Dome, told reporters at the scene. The road at the accident site is flanked by cornfields. Several hours after the crash, pieces of plastic and glass fragments were visible near the scene, according to an AFP journalist. Regional prosecutor Laure Moisset said the impact was "very violent." "Today, we have three families mourning the loss of loved ones in this accident," she said. When asked about the possibility that the victims were in an area closed to the public, Moisset said she preferred to "be cautious." "It is still a little too early to be precise," she added. "The race was extremely well organised," she added. Initially, the prefect had said that the spectators hit by the car were in a restricted area marked off by red tape. The areas reserved for the public are marked with green tape. - 'Violent crash' - Organised since 1965, the motor rally attracted 167 teams for its 32nd edition. In the rally held last year, a race marshal died. In a short statement after the accident on Saturday, the rally organisers said that the race was halted at 10:49 am. All spectators were asked to leave the scene and the event's award ceremony was cancelled. Dozens of firefighters and police were dispatched to the scene. The investigation was "in its early stages," the prosecutor said. The Peugeot 208 car was to be examined. The road where the accident took place, almost a straight line according to the authorities, has been closed. The mayor of Saint-Just, Francois Chautard, said the rally passed through his village in recent years. He said he had seen the "dented" car when it was being towed away. "I think the crash was violent," he said. mla-st-as/cw
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Motor rally accident kills three spectators in France
Three spectators died in central France on Saturday after a car driven by a 22-year-old woman racer veered off the road during an auto rally, authorities said. The driver of the modified Peugeot 208 that hit the spectators and her 51-year-old woman co-driver were taken to hospital but without life-threatening injuries, prosecutors said. Two men died at the scene and prosecutors later announced that a third man, airlifted to hospital, succumbed to his injuries. The three killed were two brothers, aged 70 and 60, and a 44-year-old man, according to the public prosecutor's office, which opened an investigation. Several people who witnessed the accident near the town of Ambert in central France were in shock, a local official told AFP. In total, a dozen people were taken to a psychological support unit set up in the nearby village of Saint-Just. The accident occurred around 11 am (0900 GMT) on Saturday. "This is a tragedy for the world of racing," said Joel Mathurin, the local prefect, or top government official for the area. Regional prosecutor Laure Moisset said the accident was "very violent". In a short statement, the rally organisers said that the race was halted at 10:49 am. All spectators were asked to leave the scene and the event's award ceremony was cancelled. Dozens of firefighters and police were dispatched to the scene. The investigation was "in its early stages," the prosecutor said. The Peugeot 208 car was to be examined. The road where the accident took place, almost a straight line according to authorities, has been closed. Prosecutors said they would have to determine whether the spectators were in an authorised area during the rally. "I prefer to remain cautious," Moisset told reporters. "It is still a little too early to be precise," she added. Organised since 1965, the motor rally attracted 167 teams for its 32nd edition. In the rally held last year, a race marshal died. mla-st-as/rmb
