Massive highway pile-up in eastern France

A massive highway pile-up in the Moselle prefecture of eastern France on Sunday morning left one person dead and 39 injured. At least 30 vehicles were involved in the crash on the A4 autoroute, 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Metz, including two coaches and a tractor, according to Moselle authorities. The crash happened at 0850 local time (0650 GMT) on the road between Metz and Boulay and local authorities said thick fog was to blame. A 70-year-old French man who had been living in the United Kingdom was killed. The number of injured was totaling 39, including 8 children, and included people from France, the UK, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Local gendarmes said the injuries appeared not to be serious but the injured were taken to a local hospital as a precaution. 40 people were treated for shock in a makeshift treatment center at Courcelles-Chaussy. The deputy prefect Jean-Pierre Bonnetain said poor visibility seemed to have been the cause of the crash. As well as the fog, a nearby fire in a barn, created thick smoke, adding to the problem. In total, 152 firefighters, 50 rescue vehicles and 79 gendarmes attended the accident. According to the local gendarmerie in Lorraine, one of the coaches was carrying British retirees from Wigan in Lancashire, for Shearings Holidays. The other coach, from Belgium, was able to continue on its way, carrying a few more passengers than when it was stopped. The national traffic authority said the westbound lanes of the highway were reopened at 1415 local time (1215 GMT) and one eastbound lane was expected to be opened by the end of the day.