20 dead in Polish crash in France-police

PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) French police said 20 people died today when a coach carrying Polish pilgrims crashed near the southeastern French city of Grenoble.

The coach, carrying 51 Polish nationals returning from a pilgrimage, was descending a steep incline between Grenoble and La Mure when it smashed through roadside crash barriers, plunged down a ravine and burst into flames.

''There are 20 dead,'' said a police official who did not give his name. He said the coach's speed and the state of its brakes may have been factors in the accident.

The bus smashed through the crash barrier on the N85 trunk road and plunged down a ravine into the Romanche river, where it burst into flames. An emergency services official said the fire was now out but had no other details.

LCI television reported nine survivors were in a serious condition.

The spot has been the scene of deadly accidents in the past.

A Belgian coach crashed near the same spot in July 1973, killing 43 people.

In Warsaw, the PAP news agency reported that a 71-year-old Israeli citizen was killed in a coach crash in southern Poland today.

PAP said five other people including the dead man's son had been injured in the crash, which happened when one lorry rammed into another which had parked behind the stationary coach.

Most of the coach's passengers were Ukrainians and Poles returning from jobs in Germany and German tourists travelling to the Crimea.

REUTERS SM VC1622