Alps coach crash: Three Britons remain in hospital

The cause of the crash remains unclear, the company said

Three Britons seriously injured in a fatal coach crash on a French Alps road remain in hospital, their employer Skibound has said.

They were among more than 50 ski resort personnel on the coach which crashed and burst into flames. The British driver died.

A fourth staff member remained in hospital overnight for observation.

Twenty-five staff have been released from hospitals in the Grenoble area. A further 23 passengers were uninjured.

The group of 48 are with police, Skibound senior staff and counsellors in a local hotel, Skibound said in a statement on Wednesday.

Arrangements are being made for relatives to travel to France to visit their injured family members, while the staff who can travel were being flown back to the UK.

The chartered coach was transporting staff back to the UK at the end of the ski season. It began in Serre Chevalier, and then collected staff in Alpe d'Huez.

The planned route would have dropped staff off at four points across England - Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

'Safety specialist'

"At the moment, our thoughts are with those who have been involved in the accident and we wish to extend our deepest sympathies to them and their relatives and friends," a Skibound spokeswoman said.

"The exact cause of the accident is as yet not known and we must await the report from the accident investigation team and local authorities in France before any comment can be made.

"We have made arrangements for an independent safety specialist to be sent to the scene to support the investigation."

UK coach operator TGM confirmed that one of its Classic Coach chartered services was involved.