According to the BBC, 20 people were injured, including 11 in critical condition after the accident on the rail and road intersection between the Millas and Saint-Feliu-d'Amont areas.
The bus that was involved in the accident was picking up students aged 13 to 17 from a Christian Bourquin College high school in Millas and was on its way home when it crashed. The bus was crossing the railway and road intersection and the train was traveling from Perpignan at a speed of about 80km/h. At the time of the accident, the view in this area was considered good.
Images from the scene show the bus being cut in half due to the impact of the train in the accident.
About 70 emergency staff and 4 helicopters were deployed at the scene.
A witness on the train told l'Independant that "it was a very intense collision that felt like the train had been thrown off the track". There were about 30 people on the boat at the time of the accident.
Investigators are waiting to question the female bus driver in the accident. Both the bus driver and the train driver were not seriously injured.
The railway operator SNCF said the barrier had been lowered at the time of the collision. According to Ms. Carole Delga, Chairman of the Occitanie Regional Council, the intersection is in very good condition and has been upgraded recently.
However, the grandmother of an 11-year-old student injured in the accident said that the fence had not lowered and the flashing alarm lights were not operating at the time of the accident.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe arrived at the scene and said the task of identifying the victim was very difficult. "The priority at this stage is to provide accurate information to families as soon as possible," he said.
Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne called the accident a "terrifying accident" while Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said he would visit the school where the students were in distress.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his condolences in sharing on social media about this tragic accident.
