Updated

French authorities say a crash between a school bus and a car has left 27 people injured, including five children who were seriously injured.

The local authority in the Gers department said that 18 other children and four adults were slightly injured.

The bus was transporting 45 middle school pupils and five adults, including the driver. It's not clear how many people were in the car.

A psychological assistance unit for the children and their families has been set up in a middle school in the town of Eauze.

Last month, a collision between a school bus and a regional train in southern France killed six children.

France recently decided to lower the speed limit on rural roads, starting from July, after the number of road fatalities rose recently.