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24 June 2004
BRUSSELS – The coach that crashed near the French town of Poitiers on Tuesday night killing 11 people travelling from Brussels to Morocco was operating illegally it was reported on Thursday.
The Brussels-based travel agent that hired the Moroccan registered coach did not respect Belgian trading laws, the Belga news agency said.
The company had no permanent sign on the street indicating that it existed and was uninsured and unlicensed.
The firm also had paid no taxes or social security charges in Belgium, which was one of the reasons, Belga said, that it could offer such low prices.
The coach crash happened at around 9.20pm on Tuesday during a torrential downpour.
It is still not clear what caused the accident.
Some witnesses say the coach was going too fast, others say an overloaded luggage trailer caused the vehicle to veer out of control.
[Copyright Expatica 2004]
Subject: Belgian news