PARIS, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Six children died on Monday when a train collided with a school bus in eastern France near the Swiss border, France Info radio said, citing local officials.
A total of 18 people were injured, police said.
The incident occurred at around 2:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) in the town of Mesinges, when a regional train between nearby Evian and Thonon-les-Bains collided with a bus carrying 56 people, most of them children aged 12-13.
The French state rail company SNCF said the level crossing was operating properly at the time. An investigation into the crash is underway.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy later paid tribute to the victims during a speech in the presidential palace in Paris.
