Belgian bus packed with children crashes, killing two

ORLEANS, France - A Belgian bus packed with Boy and Girl Scouts crashed early Tuesday, killing two children, seriously injuring five others and leaving another 36 with minor injuries, French police said.

The bus, carrying 64 people including two drivers, overturned about 7 a.m. on the A71 highway at La Ferte-Saint-Aubin about 100 miles south of Paris, according to highway police. The bus was heading through the chateau region of central France toward Paris.

The accident involved the bus and two cars, according to highway officials.

The initial cause of the accident appeared to be the driver, who allegedly dozed off at the wheel, the highway patrol said. The driver, who was not injured, is being held for questioning as part of a police inquiry into the cause of the accident.

Belgium's RTBF television reported that tests showed no signs of alcohol in the driver's blood.

The bus belonged to the Leroy-Wavilles company based in Havinnes, Belgium. Francine Leroy, the president of the company, told The Associated Press the bus was carrying children who were returning to Jurbise, Belgium after a stay at a summer camp in Larrode.

In Jurbise, the town hall was transformed into a crisis center where tearful parents sought news of their children.

''We are very shocked. This has never happened to us,'' Jean Luc Lienart, the commercial director of the company, said on Belgium's RTBF television.

The scouts were members of the Belgian National Federation of Youth Clubs, French police said. The two children killed were aged 13 and 14. Their parents were being taken to Orleans by Belgian Foreign Ministry officials.