A spectator was seriously injured and others hurt after a car driver crashed into the crowd close to the finish line of stage nine of the Tour de France on Sunday.
According to reports in the French media, the driver of a car in the convoy suffered a medical episode and crashed into the crowd, injuring eight spectators, in the time leading up to the finish. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won the stage, with no evidence of the incident visible.
The prefecture for the Corrèze départment told AFP that one person was taken to hospital, but not critically injured, while seven others sustained minor injuries, RMC reported. French sports daily L'Équipe reported that journalists from its publication were in the car at the time of the incident, which happened less than 500m from the finish line.
The Tulle prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the accident, according to RMC, but the driver was not taken into custody.
The Tour's organiser, ASO, declined to comment.
More to follow...
