Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

French tourist saves bus carrying 22 people from plunging off cliff in the Austrian Alps

'We were a hair’s breadth from catastrophe,' a local police spokesperson said

Narjas Zatat
Monday 25 September 2017 04:42 EDT
Comments
The Alps as seen from a helicopter
The Alps as seen from a helicopter (AFP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A heroic French tourist saved a bus of 22 people from plunging down a cliff in the Austrian Alps.

The 65-year-old man was one of 21 French passengers on board the bus, which was travelling along the Tyrolean Alps when the 76-year-old driver fell ill and collapsed, police say.

The bus had driven into a barrier on the road before coming to a stop, and four people were taken to hospital. There were no fatalities.

The passenger had been sitting close to the driver when he collapsed on a road near the city of Schwaz in western Austria.

The vehicle then careened through the wooden roadside guardrail, prompting the Frenchman to jump from his seat and wrench the brake, local media report.

“We were a hair’s breadth from catastrophe,” a local police spokesperson said, praising the passenger’s reflexes and adding it was “incredible luck” that he was able to stop the bus so swiftly, according to the BBC.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in