The doomed driver of the coach which crashed in the French Alps tried desperately to warn his 50 passengers there was a problem moments before the horror smash.
The 64-year-old Briton, believed to be from the North East, has been praised for his 'remarkable courage' after it was revealed he frantically shouted to passengers: 'There's a problem with the brakes' as he tried to steer them to safety.
Frédéric Cuvillier, minister of transport, said: 'You can’t call it a miracle because there is one dead and many wounded. But the human toll could have been much heavier.
'The driver’s courage saved many lives. All the testimonies of the people we have met have confirmed this. His attitude and his actions prevented an even worse situation.'
The driver was killed in the horrendous smash. Other people were catapulted out of the bus and some jumped from the moving vehicle.
There were 53 people on board, including two drivers.
The vehicle apparently suffered brake failure at the foot of the notorious, twisting descent from the ski resort of Alpe D’Huez.
Eyewitnesses said many of the passengers – seasonal ski-company employees returning to the UK – flung themselves from the shattered coach windows as the vehicle rapidly turned into a ball of fire.
A ski instructor, Loïc Glénat, was one of the first in the scene.
He was making his way down the winding Alpine road after his morning’s work.
He said: 'There were three cars ahead of me and then the bus. I kept my distance because the exhaust fumes are smelly.
'So I didn’t see the exact moment when the bus collided mountain. I saw right after ... It started to smoke. '
He quickly set up a road-block and called the emergency services.
He said: 'I made the call at 2.40pm. When I approached the bus, I saw young people coming out of the windows, through the rear window in particular. They had to break it.'
The ski instructor, who speaks English, remained on the scene to help with translation.
He said: 'I asked them what had happened. Apparently, between turn 20 and turn 21, the driver told them that there was a brake problem. Upon impact, they knew ... they were expecting it.'
A journalist from a local newspaper, who happened to be on was on his way to the resort of Alpe D’Huez, was also quickly on the scene.
He said: 'It looked like a war scene.'
He said: 'It was almost 3.30pm. I was just about to start the climb to Alpe d'Huez when I saw a black plume tearing into the blue sky. When I arrived, the front of the bus was already on fire and the flames had moved towards the rear of the vehicle.
'The bus was against the huge rocks that extend around the parapet of turn 21, the last of the descent, a protection which prevented it from tipping over the cliff. There were people on the scene, no relief, but two young people who seemed totally shocked.
'I left my car to see if they needed help. One of the two stammered in English: "There are people inside ... It's horrible. You have water?” It was a young man from Devon, called Richie - one of the survivors of the bus accident.
'He complained of hurting his arm when he came out of the pile of metal. His friend, equally confused, lived in Bristol. The other passengers were recovered from the wreck and they stood on the road ahead.
"We were on the way back," Richie said. "I was a few rows behind the two drivers when I heard the driver shout: "There is a problem with the brakes ... "The bus then crashed into the rocks. A sudden shock and then immediately it caught fire. I do not know how I got out ... but I think the drivers were stuck," he said.
Three people remain in hospital with serious injuries. One of them, a woman, was last night transferred from the CHU hospital in Grenoble to the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, which has a specialist burns unit. It is believed she suffered 80 per cent burns.
A further 22 people were still in hospital last night being treated for minor injuries.
The rest of the group was accommodated for in a hotel in Grenoble, where a psychological unit was set up.
Bilingual police officers have been drafted in to interview the passengers.
Some of the passengers initially refused to board the bus that was to take them away from the scene.
It is expected that many of those uninjured in the crash will be repatriated to the UK today.
The bus was carrying seasonnaire staff employed by SkiBound. The employees were returning to the UK.
The tragedy is the third to hit the company SkiBound this year.
In February a 13-year-old girl died on a school skiing trip in Piemonte, northern Italy. Poonam Bhattal was involved in an accident on a chairlift. SkiBound organised the trip.
And in January a British teenager drowned in a swimming pool after a night out with friends in Alpe D’Huez.
Lucy Sallis, 19, became trapped under a tarpaulin that partly covered the municipal pool. Lucy was employed by SkiBound.
Alpe D’Huez is the most famous cycle climb in the world. It has 21 switchbacks and rises over eight miles to a height of 6100 feet.
Each bend is numbered with a board, starting at bend 21 at the bottom. The hairpin bends are named after the winners of the stages.
Alpe D’Huez is also one of Europe’s premier ski resorts. With 182 miles of piste and 84 ski lifts, it is one of the world’s largest resorts.
The bus was a Classic Coaches chartered service operated by UK coach operator TGM.
The service was on route from Serre Chevalier via Alpe d’Huez to various UK drop off points.
Heath Williams, managing director of TGM, said: 'We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our two drivers on board has died. We are offering our full support to his family and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. He will be sadly missed by everyone at Classic Coaches.
'A number of passengers have sustained injuries and our thoughts are with them as they recover.'
He said: 'It is too early to say what caused the accident, however, we have launched a full investigation and are working closely with the local authorities. Our own safety specialist is attending the scene to support the investigation.'
The two drivers were from the north-east of the UK. The second driver was uninjured.
The 64-year-old Briton, believed to be from the North East, has been praised for his 'remarkable courage' after it was revealed he frantically shouted to passengers: 'There's a problem with the brakes' as he tried to steer them to safety.
Frédéric Cuvillier, minister of transport, said: 'You can’t call it a miracle because there is one dead and many wounded. But the human toll could have been much heavier.
'The driver’s courage saved many lives. All the testimonies of the people we have met have confirmed this. His attitude and his actions prevented an even worse situation.'
The driver was killed in the horrendous smash. Other people were catapulted out of the bus and some jumped from the moving vehicle.
There were 53 people on board, including two drivers.
The vehicle apparently suffered brake failure at the foot of the notorious, twisting descent from the ski resort of Alpe D’Huez.
Eyewitnesses said many of the passengers – seasonal ski-company employees returning to the UK – flung themselves from the shattered coach windows as the vehicle rapidly turned into a ball of fire.
A ski instructor, Loïc Glénat, was one of the first in the scene.
He was making his way down the winding Alpine road after his morning’s work.
He said: 'There were three cars ahead of me and then the bus. I kept my distance because the exhaust fumes are smelly.
'So I didn’t see the exact moment when the bus collided mountain. I saw right after ... It started to smoke. '
He quickly set up a road-block and called the emergency services.
He said: 'I made the call at 2.40pm. When I approached the bus, I saw young people coming out of the windows, through the rear window in particular. They had to break it.'
The ski instructor, who speaks English, remained on the scene to help with translation.
He said: 'I asked them what had happened. Apparently, between turn 20 and turn 21, the driver told them that there was a brake problem. Upon impact, they knew ... they were expecting it.'
A journalist from a local newspaper, who happened to be on was on his way to the resort of Alpe D’Huez, was also quickly on the scene.
He said: 'It looked like a war scene.'
He said: 'It was almost 3.30pm. I was just about to start the climb to Alpe d'Huez when I saw a black plume tearing into the blue sky. When I arrived, the front of the bus was already on fire and the flames had moved towards the rear of the vehicle.
'The bus was against the huge rocks that extend around the parapet of turn 21, the last of the descent, a protection which prevented it from tipping over the cliff. There were people on the scene, no relief, but two young people who seemed totally shocked.
'I left my car to see if they needed help. One of the two stammered in English: "There are people inside ... It's horrible. You have water?” It was a young man from Devon, called Richie - one of the survivors of the bus accident.
'He complained of hurting his arm when he came out of the pile of metal. His friend, equally confused, lived in Bristol. The other passengers were recovered from the wreck and they stood on the road ahead.
"We were on the way back," Richie said. "I was a few rows behind the two drivers when I heard the driver shout: "There is a problem with the brakes ... "The bus then crashed into the rocks. A sudden shock and then immediately it caught fire. I do not know how I got out ... but I think the drivers were stuck," he said.
Three people remain in hospital with serious injuries. One of them, a woman, was last night transferred from the CHU hospital in Grenoble to the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, which has a specialist burns unit. It is believed she suffered 80 per cent burns.
A further 22 people were still in hospital last night being treated for minor injuries.
The rest of the group was accommodated for in a hotel in Grenoble, where a psychological unit was set up.
Bilingual police officers have been drafted in to interview the passengers.
Some of the passengers initially refused to board the bus that was to take them away from the scene.
It is expected that many of those uninjured in the crash will be repatriated to the UK today.
The bus was carrying seasonnaire staff employed by SkiBound. The employees were returning to the UK.
The tragedy is the third to hit the company SkiBound this year.
In February a 13-year-old girl died on a school skiing trip in Piemonte, northern Italy. Poonam Bhattal was involved in an accident on a chairlift. SkiBound organised the trip.
And in January a British teenager drowned in a swimming pool after a night out with friends in Alpe D’Huez.
Lucy Sallis, 19, became trapped under a tarpaulin that partly covered the municipal pool. Lucy was employed by SkiBound.
Alpe D’Huez is the most famous cycle climb in the world. It has 21 switchbacks and rises over eight miles to a height of 6100 feet.
Each bend is numbered with a board, starting at bend 21 at the bottom. The hairpin bends are named after the winners of the stages.
Alpe D’Huez is also one of Europe’s premier ski resorts. With 182 miles of piste and 84 ski lifts, it is one of the world’s largest resorts.
The bus was a Classic Coaches chartered service operated by UK coach operator TGM.
The service was on route from Serre Chevalier via Alpe d’Huez to various UK drop off points.
Heath Williams, managing director of TGM, said: 'We are deeply saddened to learn that one of our two drivers on board has died. We are offering our full support to his family and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. He will be sadly missed by everyone at Classic Coaches.
'A number of passengers have sustained injuries and our thoughts are with them as they recover.'
He said: 'It is too early to say what caused the accident, however, we have launched a full investigation and are working closely with the local authorities. Our own safety specialist is attending the scene to support the investigation.'
The two drivers were from the north-east of the UK. The second driver was uninjured.
Source: DailyMail
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