On June 13, 2025, four people died in a dramatic bus accident in the Sarthe region of France. The bus was carrying Ukrainian teenagers and adults.

Four people died this Friday morning in a tragic bus accident in the Sarthe region of France, reports AFP. The bus was carrying Ukrainian teenagers and adults.

Four people died and eleven others were seriously injured on Friday in an accident involving a bus carrying Ukrainian adults and teenagers on the A81 freeway in the Sarthe department, the prefecture announced.

Dead and injured

The tragedy occurred on the A81 freeway, shortly after junction no. 1 towards Le Mans from the town of Laval, notes Ouest-France. Several people are reported to have died at the scene of the accident, while others were seriously injured.

Post by Autoroute A81 on X (xcancel link):

1:40pm: on #A81, after the A11/A81 junction, traffic is interrupted in both directions. Our teams are responding to a dramatic bus accident.
➡️Dir Rennes, A81 inaccessible from A11.
➡️Dir Le Mans, exit compulsory and entry forbidden at Sillé-le-Guillaume.

The provisional toll also includes 34 minor injuries, says the prefecture, adding that the accident occurred in the Rennes-Le Mans direction near the commune of Degré. The freeway should be closed “in both directions” to facilitate evacuation and rescue operations, the statement added.

“Traffic is interrupted in both directions. Our teams are responding to a dramatic bus accident”, says the freeway’s account on X.