Sunday, July 31, 2011

Whoops! Tour bus falls into the river Seine after driver forgets to put hand brake on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAS2IBS41Xkendofvid
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By Mail Foreign Service

Wrong turn: Fire fighters attend the scene at the Siene river in Paris after an Austrian tour bus rolled into the water


The promenade along Paris's famous Seine river came to a standstill today when an Austrian tour bus plunged into the water just metres from the Eiffel Tower.

The bus, which was parked in a car park, rolled backwards along the promenade and mounted the curb before falling into the river.

Nobody was hurt and it's believed the bus driver had forgotten to put the hand brake on.


Tour gone wrong: Fortunately nobody was hurt when the bus mounted the curb and plunged into the water


Witness Michael Ambrosia captured the aftermath of the incident on camera, and recalled his shock at seeing the bus fall into the river.

'I heard a noise and we saw this bus jumping the curb right here,' he said in a video posted on CNN.

'The bus was parked right there and all of a sudden I could hear a noise and saw the bus jumping the curb right here and it went right down there to the river.'


Heavy going: Fire fighters, police officers and and divers prepare to lift the bus from the river


Success: Bemused spectators look on as the bus is hauled from the Seine


'That was the most bizarre thing I've seen.'

Within 15 minutes fire crews and divers had arrived and begun working to salvage the wreckage from the river.

With the assistance of dozens of people, the bus was finally pulled back to dry land as hundreds of tourists and locals watched on.

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