26 Polish pilgrims die in French Alps

26 Polish pilgrims die in French Alps

The coach, with 48 passengers and two drivers on board, was going down a steep and winding road between Gap and Grenoble when it had problems with its brakes at around 9:30 am (0730 GMT) near the town of Vizille, officials said.

The party was returning from the Roman Catholic shrine of Notre Dame de la Salette, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to two children in 1846.

The Polish-registered vehicle smashed through the safety barrier on the side of the road and hurtled 40 metres (130 feet) onto the banks of the river Romanche below.

It burst into flames as it came to rest beside the river and was gutted by fire. Local people rushed to the scene and tried to put out the blaze with buckets of water.

Large numbers of rescue workers were at the scene after the local prefecture -- or governor's office -- activated an emergency plan. The injured were shuttled to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter.

Divers were called to the scene to search for victims who might have been thrown into the river.

Five hours after the accident, rescue workers said all on board were accounted for. Nine charred and unidentifiable bodies were found on the coach.

Most of the pilgrims were elderly and came from the Szczecin region of northeast Poland, officials said in Warsaw. They were on a tour of European Roman Catholic shrines and had spent the night at Notre Dame de la Salette.

"They left Poland on July 10 and were on their way back," said foreign ministry spokesman Robert Szaniawski. The ministry set up a telephone hotline for families.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent a message of condolence to his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski.

"During these painful moments, I wish to express my heartfelt emotion and and my deepest sympathy. The French people naturally stand beside you in this ordeal," Sarkozy said.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon was to visit the scene during the afternoon, his office said. He flew from Paris after attending a ceremony in memory of Jewish deportees in World War II.

The tortuous RN85 road from Gap to Grenoble has been the scene of many accidents over the years. Three coach crashes at exactly the same spot in the 1970s caused 77 deaths.

Investigators were likely to concentrate on the condition of the Polish coach. The descent is authorised for use by buses only if they are equipped with electronic braking.