Six teenagers die as school bus crashes in France

Six teenagers lost their lives after part of a lorry became detached and crashed into their school bus in western France, according to international reports.

According to reports, the freak accident took place in the centre of the town of Rochefort in Charente-Maritime, at 07:15 local time on Thursday.

The victims were aged between 16 and 18, according to French media, and the bus was reportedly travelling from the Ile d'Oleron to Surgeres.

Three people involved in the accident were also injured, and local authorities have set up an emergency number for concerned relatives to call: 0811 000 617.

According to local media reports, both drivers have been taken in for questioning and French president Francois Hollande also tweeted about his emotion on hearing about Thursday's accident, sending his condolences to the bereaved.

The BBC reports prosecutor Isabelle Pagenelle telling French news sites that after 20 minutes the vehicle concerned was "a dump truck whose side gate opened - for a reason unknown to us at this time as technical investigations are underway - and clipped the side of the bus coming the other way."

She added that the children who were on that side of the bus had lost their lives, while those sitting on the other side of the bus walked uninjured from the incident, reports say.