Overview
- The collision occurred late Monday at the lieu-dit La Pouge between La Clayette and Saint-Symphorien-des-Bois, according to departmental officials.
- The victims—four women and one man traveling in a 4x4 and a small city car—died at the scene, with no survivors reported by local media.
- Authorities said all five were adults, and a judicial inquiry has been opened by the gendarmerie.
- Roughly forty firefighters and a SAMU helicopter responded, and a witness nurse performed emergency extrication and cardiac massage, officials said.
- The crash comes as France reports rising road fatalities, with 3,193 deaths in 2024 and an uptick noted in 2025 quarterly figures.