A farmer was killed and her husband and teenage daughter critically injured when they were hit by a car at a farm blockade in southwest France early on Tuesday.
All three occupants of the offending vehicle have been detained, say police sources. The Ariège prefecture confirmed that a “fatal accident” involving “two serious injuries” occurred at the agricultural protest in Pamiers at 05:45.
“I have just learnt that an accident has occurred in Ariège, Pamiers, and that three of our members have suffered a serious accident near a blockade,” said Arnaud Rousseau, president of France’s main agricultural union FNSEA, in an interview.
“A woman has died; her husband and daughter are in a critical state and have been quickly taken care of by the emergency services.” He stated that he did not have more details about the circumstances of the tragedy.
According to a police source, a car “ploughed into the blockade for an unknown reason”. The deceased woman was “in her thirties” while the seriously injured victims are a “man in his forties” and a “minor”, said the source who reported the three victims were on the blockade.
“In the particular moment that agriculture is experiencing, this type of tragedy is hard to endure,” said Mr Rousseau.
For some days, French farmers have been protesting, especially with road blockades, calling for various measures: from simplifying their administrative tasks to receiving quicker compensation in case of disaster.
Arnaud Rousseau (président de la FNSEA): "Le Premier ministre a partagé le diagnostic que nous avons posé d'une situation sans équivalent" pic.twitter.com/dPaEfVcYaR
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