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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Ewan Somerville

Horror crash kills five children from same family on busy France motorway

Five children from the same family have been killed in a horror crash on one of France’s busiest motorways.

A seven-year-old boy and three adults have also been placed in intensive care following the smash on the A7 at Albon, south of Lyon, on Monday night.

The vehicle was carrying nine members of a family when it spewed smoke and burst into flames.

The driver lost control and the vehicle rolled repeatedly before crashing in a field next to the A7, also known as "the Highway of the Sun".

Five children were killed in the horror crash (AFP via Getty Images)

Radio station France Bleu reported that the five children who died were aged between three and 14.

Some 53 firefighters and three helicopters reportedly raced to the scene.

The road cuts south through the Rhone valley from Lyon to the Mediterranean port city of Marseille.

The road is one of the busiest in France (AFP via Getty Images)

The family had been heading back to their home on the outskirts of Lyon, authorities said.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted: "My thoughts are with the families and relatives of the victims of the accident on the A7, in the Drôme.

"Support and solidarity with our wounded fellow citizens who are fighting for their lives. I welcome the mobilisation of security and rescue services and state agents."

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