A press vehicle crashed into barriers during the arrival of the Tour de France in Ussel in Corrèze on Sunday, injuring eight spectators, one of them seriously, the prefecture said.
Before the breakaway - led to the line by stage winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) - arrived, around 5:00 PM, the driver of a car belonging to the newspaper L'Equipe "fell ill" less than 500 meters from the finish line.
The vehicle crashed into the barriers lining the course and injured eight the spectators who were behind it, the Corrèze préfecture told AFP.
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One of injured was in critical condition on Sunday, but their life was not in danger, and the seven other people were slightly injured, the same source added.
The vehicle could be seen still adjacent to the finishing straight with the barriers put back into place as the breakaway sprinted past with 500 metres to go.
The Tulle prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident. The driver has not been taken into custody, the prosecutor's office stated.
Stage 9 of the Tour de France had been shortened by 30 kilometers due to the heatwave on Sunday in Corrèze.
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