Jura: four high school students die, prisoners of their car fallen into a lake

Europe 1 with AFP 10:50 p.m., January 19, 2022

Four high school students, three minors and a young adult, died, remained prisoners of their car which plunged into Lake Chalain in the Jura while they were traveling on an "icy" road, we learned from the prosecution. and the prefecture.

A fifth occupant of the car managed to get out and give the alert, said Lionel Pascal, public prosecutor of Lons-le-Saunier.

The five young people were educated at the Champagnole high school, according to David Philot, prefect of the Jura, who deplored a "dramatic" accident which "affects us all".

A psychological support unit deployed

A psychological support cell with six people was deployed at the high school where several young people were boarding, he said, adding that it should be further reinforced by Thursday morning. According to Lionel Pascal, the youngest victim was 15 years old. The accident occurred at the end of the afternoon, on a very "icy" road, a "real ice rink", explained the prosecutor. The car "left the road" and "fell into the lake", located east of Lons-le-Saunier, according to the magistrate. "One of the occupants managed to get out of the vehicle" but "the other four got stuck inside and did not survive the accident," he continued.

The survivor was taken care of by paramedics and hospitalized.

Mr. Pascal indicated that he did not have any elements indicating "that his vital prognosis was engaged".

The road on which the five high school students were traveling is located overlooking the Jura lake, bordered by "a fairly steep and fairly wooded slope", explained Lionel Pascal.

Their vehicle, however, passed "in the only place where there was no tree, still hit one slightly, which was not enough to change its course and it fell into the water", he continued.

The cops quickly arrived on the scene.

The survivor "warned someone who was passing by, this person then alerted the emergency services" and a gendarmerie patrol was able "very quickly to arrive on the scene", according to the prosecutor. "The gendarmes jumped into the water to extract the occupants of the vehicle but did not succeed," he said again. Having also reached the scene very quickly, the firefighters could not save them either, he added.

The young adult who is among the victims "was the owner of the vehicle and had a driver's license, we imagine that it was she who was driving," said Lionel Pascal.

The four bodies were taken to Lons-le-Saunier hospital so that relatives could identify them.

A police investigation has been opened, according to the prosecutor.