This Saturday, at 21:00, when the French Cup final begins in Lille, a few kilometers away, in the middle of platform number 8 of the Fresnes-les-Montaubans (Pas-de-Calais) toll plaza, on the A1 motorway. Evidence of violent clashes that occurred three hours earlier between OL and PSG fans.
All wounded Lyon supporters were evacuated, and the highway, blocked in both directions, was handed over to gendarmerie experts and Sanef agents. While a helicopter from the Crime Investigation Unit (CID) flies over the board to reproduce photographic images, an expert does the same on the ground with the charred bus, recording his findings.
“Broken glass, remains of smoke bombs and dispersal grenades”
For more than 2.5 hours, four Sanef agents have been working to clear the highway of anything that could pose a traffic hazard. “There’s trash everywhere,” one of them complains. In addition to the classic trash that bus passengers had, there is broken glass, remains of smoke bombs and grenades. Their manager asked them to condemn platforms 7, 8 and 9. “The roof of the toll plaza was damaged,” he said. There is a risk of collapse. “As for the opening of the route, we will have to wait. “We won’t touch anything until the insurance specialists arrive,” the manager clarifies. I can’t say when it will be reopened, at least as far as the Paris-Lille axis is concerned. »
2 km from the toll road, the village of Fresnes-les-Montaubans has regained its calm, although there are still broken glass on the road there. At the McDonald’s restaurant, located just off the A1 motorway, clashes between supporters are a topic of every conversation. “We didn’t know what was going on for a long time,” admits the restaurant manager. I was already at work when this happened and could see a huge column of smoke rising from the highway. In the evening we were informed that the bus had burned down. »
Ocean, a restaurant employee, says she was stuck in traffic to pick up her shift. “It was completely blocked between the Gavrel and Fresnes-les-Montauban roundabouts. People were turned away from the highway, I’ve never seen anything like this. As I approached the A1 motorway I saw at least fifty police and fire engines. It was an apocalypse. »
Source: Le Parisien
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a keen interest in sports and have written for many different publications. I am currently working as an author at 24 News Recorder. I cover mostly sports news but also write about other topics such as current affairs and politics. I have a strong interest in social media and how it can be used to engage with audiences.
